Our Team

James Mann

Jim is the founding partner of James W Mann & Associates, opening the Practice in 1951. 

Even in his 80s, Jim still managed to come to the office every Monday and Tuesday to assist our staff in various tasks, demonstrating his continued passion and dedication for this family run business. 
Jim had over 60 years experience in accounting and was a Fellow of the CPA. He was also a licensed Company Auditor for over 40 years. His first client in 1951 was an Engineering business, which granted him special knowledge of the industry. His other areas of expertise included the Labour Recruitment business, having been dealing with this industry since 1975. Jim sadly passed away in May 2017. His wonderful legacy lives on.

Peter Smith

Peter is a partner of James W Mann & Associates and has been with the firm for almost 30 years.

Peter joined our team in 1985 after graduating from Deakin University in Geelong with a Bachelor of Commerce, gaining his CPA in 1992 after further studies.
With many years of experience and a vast, expanding knowledge of the industry, Peter is able to work with a whole range of clients to achieve the most tax efficient results. Peter is a fellow of the NTAA and, in addition to his full time work, attends monthly CPA Seminars and various Webinars. This enables him to keep up to date with the ever changing tax legislations and advise clients accordingly.

Raffaele Di Pietro

Raffaele has been with James W Mann & Associates since April 2000. His hard work and dedication led to his promotion to partner in March 2014.

Raffaele gained his Bachelor in Accounting from Victoria University in 1992, going on to become an Associate Member of the CPA (ASPCA) in 1994 and a member of the National Institute of Accounting (MNIA) in 2010. He most recently became a member of the IPA in December 2014.
Raffaele has a large client base made up of individuals, partnerships, Companies, Trusts and Superfunds. He manages to keep his knowledge relevant and up to date by attending CPA Webinars each month.

Karen Peach

Karen joined the James W Mann & Associates team in August 2015. She works in an advisory role and assists in the day to day running of the Practice.  

Karen has past experience as an office manager working for an International Importing company for 17 years where she dealt with all aspects of the day-to-day running of the company including finances. She has an Advanced Diploma in Business Accounting.
Karen strives to answer any question you have over the phone or via email and if she doesn’t know the answer she will endeavour to find out.

Anna Phan

Anna joined James W Mann & Associates in 2008 and quickly became a very valuable member of the team. 

Anna achieved her CPA status in December 2014. Aside from this she also has several other qualifications including a Bachelor of Finance, a Master in Applied Finance, and a graduate Diploma in Accounting.
Anna has expertise in areas such as Payroll, Fringe Benefits Tax and Superannuation, and works very closely with her clients to ensure that all documents lodged are accurate and of a high quality. She attends CPA Webinars each month to improve her knowledge and keep up to date with any changes in tax legislation.
Anna is also experienced with a variety of accounting software including MYOB, Cashflow, Quickbooks, E-Record and Xero.

(Anna is fluent in Vietnamese)

Xiao Yu

Xiao has been with James W Mann & Associates since 2011 and is a now a fully qualified CPA and Partner in the Firm.

Xiao joined James W Mann & Associates in 2011, embarking on a career defined by technical excellence and unwavering commitment to his clients. A fully qualified CPA since 2016, Xiao has consistently expanded his professional remit, becoming a Registered Tax Agent in 2021 and been appointed as partner in 2026.

With over 15 years of experience at the firm, Xiao specializes in complex Tax Legislation, Payroll, Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) and is a tax advisor. He is renowned for his meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every lodgement meets the highest standards of accuracy. To provide his clients with cutting-edge advice, Xiao remains at the forefront of the industry by attending monthly CPA professional development and tax law briefings.

Xiao is a power-user of modern accounting ecosystems, including Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, and Cashflow. As a fluent Chinese speaker, he plays a pivotal role in bridging cultural and linguistic gaps, providing expert stewardship to our diverse client base.