Melissa Lau

Melissa began her career in 1998, amassing over 26 years of experience in restructuring, turnaround, audit, banking, forensic accounting, and distressed M&A. She commenced her insolvency specialisation in 2003, holding senior roles at leading firms across Sydney, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur.

She has enhanced her insolvency skills with time in corporate banking, where she held senior roles. She worked closely with insolvency practitioners and performed restructuring roles within the bank for non-performing loan (“NPL”) portfolios.

As Head of Risk and Compliance at financial institutions, Melissa gained invaluable insights into banking systems while honing her due diligence and fraud investigation skills – expertise she now applies to complex restructuring engagements.

Career Highlights and Key Expertise

Whether navigating large corporates/SMEs through voluntary administration or proving astute advice in a corporate rescue, Melissa combines financial rigor with strategic pragmatism. Her unique background in both banking and insolvency allows her to bridge the gap between creditors and distressed entities.

Melissa brings a wealth of expertise across key financial disciplines, with notable industry experience in:

• Agriculture - Restructured livestock export companies with annual turnover of $260m via debt compromise
• Building & Construction - Turnaround of a Kuala Lumper listed company (KLSE) with $300m debt
• Healthcare - Facilitated the sale of a NDIS accredited business, delivering optimal outcomes for stakeholders
• Managed Investment Scheme - Led forensic investigation into $80M+ fraudulent transactions, exposing misconduct through comprehensive tracing of fund flows across complex financial networks, rigorous analysis of bank records and investment accounts and preparation of evidence for public examination
• Manufacturing - Lead advisor on the successful sale of a natural and organic cosmetics producer supplying to major Australian retailers
• Retail - Led the turnaround of a 39-store chain via creditor compromise

Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from the RMIT University
• Advanced Insolvency Law & Practice program from the University of Southern Queensland
• Fellow member of CPA Australia
• Registered Liquidator
• Associate AML Professional (AMMLP), Hong Kong

Memberships & Associations

• Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (ARITA)
• CPA Australia
• INSOL International
• Association of Independent Insolvency Practitioners (AIIP)
• The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers, Hong Kong (HKIB)

Personal Interests

When not dissecting balance sheets or guiding business through financial distress, Melissa is usually in the kitchen, often with the kids by her side, experimenting with new recipes or hunting down unforgettable flavours—because life’s too short for bland meals.