Rowan Malherbe is the Principal of BDO Academy and brings over 23 years of experience in external audit, professional training and academic lecturing. His career spans both smaller audit practices and Big 4 firms, giving him a well rounded perspective of the profession, from highly technical audit environments to broader commercial and advisory contexts. This depth of experience allows him to combine academic rigour with practical business understanding in a way that is both credible and relevant.
Before joining BDO, Rowan founded and led a professional training company specialising in ACCA tuition. Under his leadership, the business achieved ACCA Gold Approved Learning Partner status, reflecting a strong track record in delivering high quality, results driven education and supporting candidates through advanced professional qualifications.
He joined BDO in 2018 as Audit Technical Training Manager, where he was responsible for training audit staff on audit methodology, technical standards and professional judgement. This role provided him with deep exposure to firm wide learning needs, quality management requirements and the practical challenges faced by trainees and professionals in a fast paced audit environment.
In July 2025, Rowan established BDO Academy with the vision of creating a structured, high impact learning environment that bridges technical excellence with practical application. As Principal, he oversees the Academy’s strategic direction, academic quality and delivery of professional training programmes, with a strong focus on audit, financial reporting and professional qualifications.
His expertise spans financial accounting, management accounting and auditing, supported by experience lecturing at university level. He is deeply committed to developing professionals who are technically strong, commercially aware, ethically grounded and confident in applying their knowledge in real world situations.