About Forward
meet the team

Operators who have built, bought and sold businesses themselves.

We started Forward because owners who built something real deserve an adviser who has actually done it. Every broker here has run a business, made the hard calls, and lived the wins and the failures.

The Forward Business team
The team

Real operators, led by real operator credibility.

Jack Lee
Principal

Jack grew up in a family of small-business owners, helping in the family shops from an early age. In his twenties he turned a software side project into an IT consulting firm, then founded and co-founded several ventures, including a food-exporting business. He bought a bar in 2019 and exited in 2024, and today also runs a business providing outsourced offshore accounting services. He spent the first half of his career in consulting and project management at Capgemini and three major banks, and holds a Master of Applied Finance. A lifetime of operating, buying and selling businesses means he leads the firm from real experience on both sides of a sale.

Makis Chrysanthos
Consultant

Makis founded an accounting firm and sold it in his thirties, then built the management consultancy he still runs today, helping hundreds of business owners along the way. He personally sold his wife's manufacturing business, single-handedly designing and running the entire sale process and achieving a price well above what they had expected. Alongside broking he advises on strategy, leadership and organisational alignment, with a background spanning Fortune 500 enterprises and major Australian organisations. For buyers and sellers, that is hands-on proof he knows how to prepare, position and close a sale at the right price.

Jonathan Woods
Consultant

Jonathan has lived both sides of a business sale. He bought and sold his own pizza restaurant after seven years, and in 2025 bought a gardening business he still runs today, doubling its size by simplifying and automating the operation to lift profit margins. Two decades leading cyber and operational risk programs across Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom sharpened his eye for value, due diligence and clean, well-run process. He knows first-hand what it takes to build a business up, tidy it for sale and hand it over cleanly. For buyers and sellers, that means a broker who has personally operated, bought and sold, and understands what really moves a deal.

Daniela Rosa
Consultant

Daniela helps business owners and investors buy and sell established mid-market businesses in asset-heavy sectors where operational insight and commercial judgment make the difference. Her background spans commercial and transactions advisory and senior project and development roles on major infrastructure and property programs. Whether a client is planning an exit, positioning for growth or assessing an acquisition, she manages the full process from valuation to settlement with transparency and discretion, focused on protecting what they have built.

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Bhumil Soni
Consultant

Bhumil holds a degree in Accounting and Finance and spent close to a decade working in accounts and finance, giving him a sharp eye for the numbers that make or break a deal. He reads financials, margins and working capital the way a serious buyer does, so he can help sellers present their business clearly and help buyers understand exactly what they are paying for. He has been on the buyer's side of the table himself, coming close to acquiring a business, and brings that empathy plus real financial rigour to every conversation.

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Rooney Zhou
General Manager

Rooney is the backbone of the firm. He runs compliance and marketing, supports the broker team day to day, and drives our sale campaigns from first listing through to settlement. As our key Chinese-facing operator, he leads our reach into the Chinese-speaking buyer market, keeping every listing, campaign and buyer relationship moving smoothly behind the scenes. Detail-driven and dependable, he is the steady hand that keeps the business organised and accountable, so the brokers are free to focus on their clients and deals while nothing slips through the cracks.

The integrated bench

A full professional team, on call for your sale.

Alongside our brokers, we work with a trusted bench of partner accountants and lawyers. It means the specialist help a sale needs is coordinated and ready, rather than something you have to assemble yourself under pressure.

Partner accountants

Adjusted earnings, tax structuring and clean financials buyers can trust.

Partner lawyers

Contracts, due diligence and a clean path through to exchange.

Want operators in your corner for your sale?

Start with a free, confidential appraisal. It is the simplest way to see how we would approach your business.

Get your free appraisal