Staff Profile: Peter Biazos

I grew up in a family-run hospitality and takeaway business, and my parents encouraged me to explore opportunities outside of that world.

Over the years, I saw many small businesses in our community struggle, often without knowing where to turn for guidance. I saw how hard these people worked, more than 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

That really stayed with me. I became interested in how people in tough situations could access support and options, and that curiosity eventually led me to insolvency. I found that I really valued the chance to help people navigate challenging times.

I became a liquidator quite early, at the age of 30, and I was chuffed to achieve that qualification at such a young age. The biggest job I worked on in that early part of my career was when, as a Partner, I was appointed to Allied Brands Limited, a publicly listed company that was the head franchisor for every Baskin Robbins in Australia among numerous other businesses.

We came in as VA, traded it, and restructured it to refloat and sell the listed company. The DOCA succeeded, everyone kept their jobs, the ice-cream business stayed in Australia, the franchisees kept their franchises, and life went on. In fact, it’s still operating in Australia today. It was an amazing story and a big job for me in my early 30s.

Yes, thankfully I had really good mentors. The person I spent my first 10 years working with was a great coach and manager, and he went on to become one of the highest-profile liquidators in the country.

He trained me for 10 years, we became good friends, and I learned my trade under him. He’s been my main guiding influence, and I still catch up with him and bounce things off him today.

If a business is viable, I like being able to help people keep their jobs. If employees can’t keep their jobs, I want to get their entitlements paid as quickly as possible, so they’re not too negatively impacted by a situation that’s outside of their control.  

Another rewarding aspect is developing and mentoring young staff, teaching them the trade, the right way to do things, the wrong ways to avoid, and watching them come through the ranks to partner level. Many of the people I’ve mentored still keep in touch. They take me out for lunch, we play golf, and they see me as a bit of a mentor. Being able to provide others with the same invaluable mentorship I benefited from is something I find deeply rewarding.

One of my mentors taught me, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t cause this, so don’t take it personally.”

In many situations there will be heightened emotions. You’ll see tears and you can’t be the one crying too! You have to stand back and remember you didn’t cause it. You’re there to do a job. I’ve never taken the role personally because of that.

It can affect their mental health and their ability to perform, because they’re stressed, worried, and anxious. You have to keep in mind that you’re there to do a job. I’m not saying be emotionless, but taking it all on isn’t going to help anyone.

One book I keep coming back to, is something I’ve read often since I was young, it’s The Magic of Thinking Big.

I re-read it every six months when I need to focus again. It’s not really about having big ideas; it’s about how you get there, how you treat people along the way, how you treat yourself, and being true to who you are.

If people don’t connect with you for who you genuinely are, it’s okay, they can choose to work with someone else. That’s something I share with my junior staff as well. They recently asked me how I build my client base, and I told them that I focus on being authentic. If someone doesn’t feel I’m the right fit, that’s perfectly fine, there will always be others who do. There’s plenty of work out there, and the right clients will appreciate you for being yourself.

I’m a very proud grandfather, and spending time with my granddaughter is one of my greatest pleasures. She just turned three on Friday, so we celebrated her birthday over the weekend.

Every Sunday, the family comes over for a barbecue, and I treasure those afternoons. She loves sitting with me by the pool, sharing ice cream, it’s become our little tradition, and it’s something I look forward to each week.
I also have two daughters. My eldest is 26 and runs a charity she established to support children from violent homes and difficult backgrounds. I’m incredibly proud of the work she’s doing.

My younger daughter is 19 and currently studying law while working in an insolvency law firm, she’s really taken an interest in the field. She’s also studying accounting, but I think she’ll ultimately follow the legal path rather than the accounting side.

It’s wonderful to see both of them pursuing meaningful work in their own ways.