INSIDER MAGAZINE: A day in the life of HLB Mann Judd Perth managing director Lucio Di Giallonardo

I wake up between 5am and 5.30am. I get up immediately and either go for a 30-minute walk or do some exercise in my home gym. I usually have my wife’s homemade granola with fruit for breakfast while I read the newspaper — I’m still old-school in the sense that I get it delivered to the house. All my kids are grown adults and have moved out so that makes my movements in the morning faster. I’m usually out the door by 7am, or just after. I like to be in the office by 7.30am. I have my first coffee of the day as soon as I get to my desk. The first hour or so is dedicated to the emails I got overnight from people overseas or over east. I see whether the day’s schedule I had planned out the day before has changed. I’m also the chair of the Leukaemia Foundation and because it’s a voluntary role, I like to take it away from the normal working hours. The time of the year determines how busy we are. Being one of the audit partners, we look after a lot of ASX-listed companies, not-for-profit organisations and large family businesses. My days can consist of team meetings to discuss audits, reviewing audit files and financial statements. The partners here are quite hands-on. I’ve got an open-door policy, so my staff don’t have to make appointments if they have something they want to talk about. I think these days, it’s really important to be accessible to your team. I don’t force people to come into the office but my preference is that the team do come in. Being in the office helps people hear what you’re saying over the phone, see your communication style and how you deal with issues. You miss that on Teams or Zoom. My biggest issue with the work-from-home arrangement is for the younger people, like the cadets we take on. If they don’t see the partners and senior people in action, they can really miss out. I’ve developed most of my skills because I’ve had mentors who have coached me face-to-face. I like to get out of the office by 6pm and I’m usually yawning because the day has been go, go, go. I like to go to my local gym a couple of nights a week, otherwise I head straight home for dinner. Sometimes I also have events in the evening. I can cook but my wife loves cooking so I don’t tend to get involved. Instead, I help out with tidying up after dinner. I like to finish the day with a little bit of TV — I get hooked on Netflix and Stan series. I used to be a musician in my younger days and developed a real appreciation for the piano and accordion. I sometimes lock myself in the music room to play for half an hour or so. We’ve got clients that have got businesses internationally so I will do the occasional check of emails on my phone. I also like to go through my schedule for the next day, I find it gets me in the mind-frame of what I have to do the next day. I like to be in bed by 10.30pm.

INSIDER MAGAZINE: A day in the life of HLB Mann Judd Perth managing director Lucio Di Giallonardo

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