Ex-KPMG consultants launch new advisory firm

Previous family business consultants at KPMG have launched a new Australian advisory firm that specialises in working with business families, Lineage Group, in Melbourne.

The firm aims to acknowledge the contribution of family businesses to the economy and society, as they make up 70 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP).

The group is led by KPMG alumni Michelle De Lucia, Dominic Pelligana and Andrew Muscara, who believe family businesses are the ‘optimal business model’.

“Within a large firm, we saw how family businesses can be treated like a transaction, with little investment in a relationship. The very thing that families thrive on. And so do we,” De Lucia said.

“Our successful track record of delivering for families comes from taking the time to truly understand them, inside and out.”

Lineage Group has already established a close association with Australia’s successful business families, most notably the Victor Smorgon Group. This allows the firm to offer its clients, mostly first to fifth-generation business families, a network of collective knowledge and experience.

“We have the ability to connect them to opportunities and networks they couldn’t achieve on their own,” Muscara said.

“Our experience strengthens families through business and business through families.”

Pelligana also emphasised the experience of the Lineage Group team in the family business market.

“We use our deep insights and connections to help families achieve what they want personally and commercially,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to operating in our new business model, offering broader and dedicated support to our business families including M&A, capital structure optimisation, strategic & financial planning, family office, philanthropy & social impact and next generation transition and development.”