After 21 years in the audit profession, Leslie Proud retires this month, closing his significant chapter in Queensland’s audit landscape.

From his early days in a regional office in Mackay, working with small not-for-profits, to building and leading a respected firm of his own, Leslie has forged a career defined by technical expertise, steady leadership and enduring client relationships.

Under his guidance, Independent Audits became a trusted name across Queensland before merging with Allen Audit & Advisory in March 2025. Reflecting on the merger, Leslie notes the strong alignment with Allen Audit & Advisory Principal, Richard Allen, which made the transition seamless.

“Richard and I have a similar approach to working with clients,” Leslie says. “That was one of the good aspects of merging the two firms, and I expect my transition to retirement will be ideal.”

Here, Leslie reflects on his contribution to the profession, his leadership, and where to next — for both him and audit.

The appeal of audit

Leslie’s path into audit began at university, where his study of accountancy aligned naturally with his strong inclination toward structure and organisation.

“The thing that I really like about audit is the process of making everything transparent, clear and easily understandable for the users to know,” Leslie says.

“It’s important for corporate, non-profit, and government clients to know someone’s checked over their work and it complies, so they can sleep well at night knowing they’ve done a good job.

“You have a very intense understanding of client operations, understanding what they do well, and making recommendations on what they could make better, and that’s what I find enjoyable.”

Early career experience

Leslie says that working alongside a diverse range of talented accounting professionals across different organisations early in his career gave him a strong foundation in how to run a business well.

“That exposure shaped my approach to audit, and it’s been rewarding to mentor emerging accounting professionals and help them build their own expertise,” he says.

Working with small not-for-profits is what originally inspired him to start his own business, Independent Audits.

“Having worked, managed, and audited in smaller not-for-profits, I knew what it was like for them to just try and get through with the smallest amount of expense,” says Leslie.

“So I structured my business to be a low-cost and efficient solution for not-for-profits, while also remaining an informative and helpful partner to their audit process.”

The two key pillars

Leslie says firms need two things to make an audit business successful — trust and knowledge. “Clients need to be able to trust that whatever they tell you is confidential and doesn’t go anywhere,” he says.

“Only then can you have honest and clear communications with partners. The client gets a better business outcome, and we get a better outcome because we know things are operating better.”

The evolution of audit

In his two decades in the industry, Leslie says the last five years have been the most transformative. “These days, with everything being electronic and business intelligence tools, we’ve gone from sampling to analysing entire data sets,” he explains.

“In the future, I see blockchain technology being incorporated into accounting systems directly because it will ensure audit integrity. Once a transaction is entered into the blockchain, it cannot be edited or modified.”

He also predicts artificial intelligence (AI) will move from being an assistive tool to handling end-to-end processes. “The auditor’s role will become more about managing and analysing blockchain integrity, and whether AI has sufficiently validated and audited for compliance with legislative requirements.”

A love of technology

Leslie encourages future or early-career auditors to embrace the constant stream of new technology and industry developments. “It’s not a profession you’re going to be able to sit there and say, ‘I’ve got my qualifications, I can just go and work now,’” he says.

“Anyone in audit needs a continuing desire to understand the latest technology, tools, and knowledge and how to implement them.”

Learning for life

In retirement, Leslie is looking forward to spending more time travelling and developing his language skills. “I want to see the sights, particularly in Thailand. I also have always had a desire to learn a second language, and so now, I want to put some time and effort into learning Thai,” he says.

“It’s important to always keep the mind active.”

Leslie’s plans include working on independent projects to help make auditing more accessible. “I’ve just authored a cryptocurrency payment link to a free accounting software package that allows sales invoices to be paid instantly, from anywhere in the world, for almost zero cost,” he says.

“It’s one way I can continue to contribute to the industry.”

On behalf of everyone at Allen Audit & Advisory, we thank Leslie Proud for his significant contribution to the profession and wish him every success and fulfilment in the next chapter of his retirement.