OUR PEOPLE.

Acutus co-founders Kevin Altermatt and Darren McGowan lead our team. Both started their careers as engineers before turning their analytical minds to strategy consulting. They’ve worked together for over 20 years at renowned strategy firms and co-founded Pacific Strategy Partners, which was acquired by KPMG in 2014. Acutus is an evolution of Darren and Kevin’s partnership and a culmination of their combined expertise to date.

Darren McGowan

Darren McGowan’s strategy and growth management acumen has been honed over more than two decades of collaboration with clients to identify nuanced solutions within complex environments.

Darren began his professional career as a chemical engineer before applying his problem-solving skills to strategic consulting. He gained significant experience at several major consulting firms, including the Mitchell Madison Group and A.T. Kearney, working in senior roles across diverse sectors. 

In 2003, alongside Kevin Altermatt, Darren became a founding director of Pacific Strategy Partners. The boutique firm developed a stellar reputation, especially for its work with clients in the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors, among others. 

After almost 11 successful years, KPMG came calling and acquired Pacific Strategy Partners, with Darren joining KPMG’s Global Strategy Group as a Partner in 2014. His primary focus at KPMG was to deliver actionable strategies to global clients, with an emphasis on Portfolio/Enterprise, Growth and Operating Strategy. 

As a result of his extensive experience, he has developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of business models and organisational practices in differing cultural contexts and business environments. 

His key values include:

• Industry-agnostic – works as effectively across building, mining and farming sectors as he does within the consumer, health and medical spheres. 

• Cross-cultural – translates his knowledge and awareness across cultures, with clients spanning Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and Europe.

• Balanced and holistic foresight – breaks down complex issues and delineates the substantive basis of multi-faceted problems.

• Growth-focused – identifies growth opportunities and develops strategies to achieve measurable outcomes.

• Master facilitator – collaboratively supports clients to align and develop the next steps required for their businesses’ success. 

With Acutus, Darren leads a team of clear-sighted analysts who expertly advise businesses on their growth potential and help organisations navigate their next stage of evolution, whether organisation-wide or project-specific. His vision for Acutus is to build a legacy with trust, integrity and collaboration at the forefront.

Darren holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Melbourne and Masters of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School where he was awarded the John Clemenger Prize for the best MBA student.

Kevin Altermatt

Kevin Altermatt has over 20 years of experience and a proven track record as an expert growth and strategic management consultant.

A mechanical engineer by qualification, solving tricky business problems soon drew Kevin towards the field of strategic consulting. He applied his curious mind and analytical nous to the field, working for several first-tier firms and gaining substantive experience across an array of industries with diverse clients, including several ASX20 companies. 

After working with the likes of McKinsey and A.T. Kearney, he co-founded Pacific Strategy Partners alongside Darren McGowan in 2003. The firm developed an excellent reputation for its pragmatic and growth-focused approach among Australian boutique consulting firms. 

In 2014, KPMG acquired Pacific Strategy Partners, and Kevin subsequently became a Partner at KPMG. Aside from Pacific Strategy Partners, over his decades-long career, he has also co-founded several other successful consulting businesses, notably Bearbrass.

His key values include:

• Pragmatism - adopts a considered and analytical approach to identifying and - just as crucially - interpreting avenues of opportunity for businesses.

• Growth-focus - utilises his experience and evidence-backed research to develop strategies that deliver measurable outcomes.

• Integrity - employs rigour and diligence in undertaking all services and in all dealings with stakeholders.

• Assurance - provides clients with a "safe pair of hands" and advice and guidance tempered by decades of experience.

• Teamwork - collaborates and creates an alliance of understanding with clients that enables deeper engagement and optimal results.

In co-founding Acutus, a boutique consultancy, Kevin brings a premium, comprehensive level of service to management consulting, and still enjoys personally guiding clients towards reaching their growth potential. He believes the key to successfully unlocking this potential is primarily to treat his client's business with the care and conviction he would treat his own. 

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

ANDREW COSTA

Andrew Costa is an Associate with Acutus, developing insights and strategies that are underpinned by rigorous, evidence-based analysis. He specialises in helping clients identify growth opportunities and enjoys working on projects which leverage his commercial expertise to achieve positive social outcomes.

Andrew began his career within KPMG’s R&D Incentives team where he advised clients on how to access government support for innovative R&D projects. He then transitioned into KPMG’s strategy consulting team where he worked with Acutus founders Darren McGowan and Kevin Altermatt to provide strategic advice to clients concerning corporate strategy, growth opportunities, operational improvement, and M&A.

More recently, Andrew worked at On The Line (a non-profit mental health organisation that delivers professional counselling services via a number of helplines) where he identified opportunities for new products/services and developed new program funding models.

Andrew joined his former KPMG colleagues at Acutus in 2019, shortly after it was established.

Outside of work, Andrew plays the clarinet in community-based orchestras and enjoys cycling around Melbourne’s bike trails. He also takes an interest in the performing arts.

Andrew is a member of the board of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and is also an advisor to the Global Consulting Group, where he coaches and mentors student-based consulting teams.

He holds a Master of Business (Information Technology) and a Master of Commerce from RMIT University.

william usher

William Usher is an Associate with Acutus, leading research, analysis, and day-to-day engagement with clients. He specialises in identifying key value drivers and assessing growth opportunities for his clients and especially enjoys working on projects that enable step-change growth.

William started his career as a cadet engineer with Brookfield Multiplex, working on large +$100m residential and commercial construction projects in South-East Queensland. Following his time at Brookfield Multiplex, William spent a year as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Cambridge after which he led several sustainability-focused construction projects in Africa, predominantly for organisations in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo including the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation in Virunga National Park.

On returning to Australia, William transitioned from the construction sector to strategy consulting at Kearney. He then moved to KPMG, where he met Acutus founders Darren McGowan and Kevin Altermatt. During his time at KPMG, William worked on an array of corporate strategy, growth strategy, operational improvement, and various M&A related projects for clients across agribusiness, aviation, education, financial services, health, retail, resources, and utilities sectors among others. A highlight of his time at KPMG was a secondment to MG Corporation, an indigenous organisation in East Kimberley, where he developed an economic strategic growth plan for the organisation. In 2019, William joined Acutus, shortly after its founding.

Outside of work, William is involved in various mentoring programmes, is an active member of his cricket club, and loves cooking with friends.

William holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Advanced Studies, Class I Honours) degree from Griffith University and a Master of Philosophy (Engineering for Sustainable Development) from the University of Cambridge.

Louise Rooney

Louise Rooney is an Analyst with Acutus, supporting the team with research and analyses. Louise leverages her scientific analysis and statistical interpretation skillset for the benefit of Acutus’ engagements and clients’ problems.

Louise began her career as a Neuroregeneration research scientist with the Centre for Eye Research and the University of Melbourne, investigating how the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease can be further understood. 

More recently, Louise worked with the Auditory Regeneration Group at the Bionics Institute of Melbourne, where she investigated original therapeutics to address hearing loss. During her time in the biomedical sector, Louise authored a chapter of a book on Stem Cell Tourism and a number of articles for various science magazines. In 2020, Louise left the biomedical science sector and joined Acutus to expand on her creative thinking and critical analysis skillsets she has developed as a scientist.

Outside of work Louise enjoys rock climbing, surfing, running, and cooking. Louise takes an interest in sustainability and permaculture and enjoys being a mentor to junior scientists.

Louise holds a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Bioscience and a Master of Science in Biomedical Science from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.