People

Gino grew up in Concepcion, Tarlac, Philippines. Based out of the Manilla office, Gino is the eldest of four siblings and the only son, with three younger sisters who still turn to him for advice. His family ran a small business making religious and Catholic figurines, a business that was steady and dependable. In high school, Gino learnt a case study about a famous Filipino shoemaker who built an empire from small beginnings, a stark contrast to his own family’s business that was consistent rather than exponential. Gino pondered what the difference came down to. Was it: strategy, marketing, or something else entirely?

Accounting wasn’t his first plan. As a boy, Gino wanted to be a commercial pilot, until he realised a fear of heights (one he still hasn’t quite shaken) was going to make that difficult. Without realising he was already thinking like an accountant, the constraint wasn’t time or a lack of trying to conquer a fear, it was the consideration that you’d need a larger budget.

When college representatives visited his high school and made the case that every business needs an accountant, it clicked, accounting required nothing more than enrolling into a course and a calculator, and the subjects felt instantly familiar, echoing the payroll, inventory and supplier concepts he’d grown up around in his family’s business.

Gino began his career at Ernst & Young in Manila, working with manufacturing clients, before moving in-house with a private corporation in the energy sector. He then joined a firm closer to home, managing accounts for a portfolio of over 150 strata buildings, before joining Martin & Martin. Since then, he’s been building his knowledge of Australian tax and accounting from the ground up. A considerable shift from his prior experience, but one he’s approached with curiosity, particularly enjoying learning how differently individual tax deductions work for Australians compared to that in the Philippines.

Outside the office, Gino manages a very different kind of operation. He’s very passionate about his flock of 40 chickens. Complete with a DIY automated watering system. What started as a handful of egg-layers has turned into something more and of course a spreadsheet that includes: coop investment, payback period, the DIY Automated watering system and more. When quizzed whether the 40 odd chickens have names… they’ve been assigned numbers instead – there’s a spreadsheet for that too.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science (Accountancy)

Area of expertise

Financial Accounting, Bookkeeping, Reconciliations

Likes

Farming, Wildlife Documentaries, DIY projects, Nature Sceneries

Dislikes

Arrogant people. Loud and crowded places

Favourite Quote

“Set your heart ablaze”
— Kyojuro Rengoku

Favourite holiday destination

Anywhere with lots of large old trees

Summer or Winter?

Winter. We don’t actually have winter in the Philippines, but I like the cold breezy weather of December to February

The actor who would play me in a film

I may want it to be animated

Best advice I have been given

Treasure the experience. Dreams fade away when you wake up

Dream Client would be…

Someone who loves to share how passionate they are with what they do