Commerce Incursion: Panel Discussion

Year 10 Commerce students were treated to an engaging and insightful panel discussion featuring three distinguished professionals who generously shared their expertise from the worlds of taxation, accounting, and investing. The event was designed to broaden students’ understanding of how these disciplines intersect and influence both business and personal financial decisions.

The panel included Mr Ben Opie, Partner at KPMG and Chairman of KPMG’s Global Japanese Practice, Mr Doug Ferguson, NSW Chairman and Head of Asia and International Markets at KPMG, and Mr Scott Phillips, Chief Investment Officer at The Motley Fool Australia. Each brought unique perspectives from their careers advising governments, corporations, and individual investors.

Mr Ben Opie explored the role of taxation in shaping business growth and government spending priorities. He gave students a clearer sense of why tax matters and how policies can influence both inequality and investment. Mr Doug Ferguson drew on his international career, including more than a decade in China and his leadership of KPMG’s Asia practice, to highlight the importance of cultural understanding, trade relationships, and decision-making under pressure. His reflections on working through the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the Global Financial Crisis gave students a rare glimpse into business at the highest stakes. Mr Scott Phillips was excellent in making the world of investing accessible, speaking candidly about housing affordability, risk and return, and how individuals can prepare for a future shaped by technological change and global uncertainty.

Throughout the session, panellists also responded to questions that encouraged them to share views on common themes such as artificial intelligence, the housing market, globalisation, and how to make smart decisions under pressure. This allowed students to see how taxation, accounting, economics and investing connect in practice and how experts from different fields often approach the same challenges from distinct angles.

The panel concluded with reflections on the qualities and skills young people can begin developing now, from financial literacy to cultural awareness and resilience. Students left with valuable lessons about money, business, and global trends, but also with the encouragement that the choices they make in School and beyond will shape their own opportunities.

A huge thank you also goes to students Archie L and Ollie M, who hosted the event with skill and finesse, ensuring the discussion stayed engaging, relevant, and dynamic from start to finish. Their professionalism in managing the flow of the conversation added to the success of the panel.

Mr Tom Kirby
Economics and Commerce Teacher