About Us - Element Business

Committed to building your business beyond tomorrow.

STRIVING FOR 1% IMPROVEMENT EACH & EVERY DAY

Element Business started out with a philosophy that clients should have access to a wholistic service which goes beyond basic compliance work. This prompted our Founding Director, Leschen Smaller to start the firm in 2012. Leschen was joined by Theresa Allery in 2015, driven by a shared goal that business, accounting and taxation services can be provided in their own unique way that does not follow the traditional service model. They are both believers in the incredible and compounding power of the one percent rule. Striving for 1% improvement every day.

By becoming integrated with a client’s business in a wholistic way, the team at Element gain a 360 degree view of their client’s business, family and circumstances. This allows them to provide advice in a better way, advice that has depth because they are aware of other factors influencing decision making that aren’t just commercial factors.

Meet Our Team

We are not your ordinary accountants. We are committed to making a real difference to your financial affairs, which has a positive flow on effect to you, your family and our communities.

Leschen Smaller - Director

Leschen is our Founding Director and loves working with business owners to help them reach their full potential. She also loves to connect people within her network so they can leverage off one another, swap ideas and innovate!

Leschen brings with her a wealth of experience in family groups and small to medium sized businesses. Her inspiration was to make her experience gained from “Big 4” and second tier accounting practices more accessible to these clients and offer robust advice that considered a client’s situation as a whole, as opposed to adhoc pieces of advice that focused on just one aspect of a client’s business and potentially ignored that ever present human aspect.

Theresa Allery - Director

Theresa loves working with family businesses and is committed to sharing her expertise and knowledge in a practical and understandable way. Theresa’s wish is to leave a legacy of financial education which empowers small business owners to create the lives they want for themselves, their communities and generations to come.
Her experience with “Big 4” and second tier accounting firms gives her the tools and expertise to structure her client’s business and personal affairs in the most tax effective way.
She is a qualified Chartered Accountant, Tax Agent, Fellow Member of The Tax Institute, holds a Masters in Applied Taxation and is an Authorised Representative of the SMSF Advisers Network.
When not working on your business, Theresa is out in nature with her family and sausage dog, on the beach, picnicking along the water or bushwalking one of the many trails in the hinterlands.

Chris Chong- Manager

Beginning at Element as a graduate, Chris now manages the Element team and enjoys working with our graduates to give them the best start to their careers in public practice.

Chris has been a Chartered Accountant since 2021, achieving a merit in the Tax module, and brings with him 6+ years of experience working with SME businesses. He has a strong customer service background and is passionate about providing excellent service for our clients, working alongside them to achieve their goals.

Chris is an avid cricket and rugby union fan. He also loves beating escape rooms and being offshore chasing the marlin!

Ashley Sly- Accountant

Ashley has been with Element for a year after graduating from QUT, and recently started working towards a CA qualification.

Ash is very curious, always asking questions and soaking in knowledge, striving to improve his tax and business knowledge. He enjoys working in a variety of industries specifically with small and medium business after growing up around family businesses.

In his free time, he loves trying to play golf or is out on the beautiful Broadwater boating!

Ashleigh Hopgood- Accountant

Ashleigh started at Element in 2021 as an Undergraduate Accountant and has since completed her Bachelor’s Degree, majoring in Accounting at Griffith University. Ashleigh has aspirations to become a Chartered Accountant and began her studies in 2022.

Ashleigh is dedicated to applying her wide range of skills in accounting, bookkeeping, GST and corporate tax in her role.

Ashleigh is passionate in helping discover and implement effective and efficient processes for both our clients and our firm.

Ashleigh loves spending time with family and friends and attending theme parks as often as she can. Ashleigh is also an avid AFL fan and is known for having a sweet tooth.

Sarah McHugh- Office Administrator

Sarah is our Office Administrator. She brings a varied wealth of knowledge of the accounting industry, having over 20 years administration experience.
She relishes in utilising this experience along with her warm and engaging manner by providing support to our clients, team and Directors.
She is most happy when outdoors with family and friends, most likely sipping on an Espresso Martini!

OUR CORE VALUES

At Element, we live by our values, the four ‘C’s:

Collaboration

We encourage disrupting ideas and coming together to create new solutions.

Courage

We embrace courage by being brave in the face of fear, and we have the confidence to be unique.

Curiosity

We display curiosity by asking questions to better understand. We don’t shy away from asking why.

Celebration

Together we have purposeful gatherings where we share and acknowledge our successes.

Business Certifications & Memberships

We are associated and qualified with the following organisations: