Marco Spagnuolo – Corporate Reporting and Accounting Advisory Partner

Originally from South Africa, Marco grew up in a close-knit, typical-loud Italian immigrant family. “My father passed away when I was very young and, as the oldest grandchild, my grandfather played a big role in my life. He taught me practical skills and a love for being independent and self-sufficient. (He also got me behind the steering wheel way too young, but I’ll keep that story for another day!).

“But it was my grandmother who managed the household finances and always espoused the values of spending wisely and saving for the future, lessons which have served me well both personally and professionally. Alongside running the household, she ran a successful knitting business on the side – outsourcing key tasks to family members including me!”

A graduate of Marian College and the University of Johannesburg, Marco excelled in subjects involving accounting, business maths and science. He began his professional accountancy journey with vacation work at BDO, which quickly turned into a year-long part-time role. He went on to complete his articles with KPMG, gaining exposure to industries including automotive, pharmaceuticals, construction and defence – often working with clients who had sophisticated hedging strategies and complex financial instruments. That experience led him into the financial reporting team at Absa Bank, just as Barclays and Absa merged to form Barclays Africa. 

“That was a formative experience – I got to work on major technical accounting and finance systems challenges in a fast-changing environment. It cemented my interest in problem-solving within finance,” he explains. From there, Marco moved into KPMG’s Accounting Advisory team and later joined Deloitte, where he became a Partner just over three years ago.

Marco met his wife Yvonne through a mutual acquaintance, only realising after a few dates that they actually went to primary school together. They were married in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in a ceremony that legally was not allowed to have more than 10 attendees – the rest of the wedding guests attended via YouTube! 

Following the birth of his son, Luca, in 2023, Marco and his wife, Yvonne, decided to relocate to Ireland in search of a new chapter for their family. “My wife and I decided we wanted something different for him than what South Africa could offer. We visited Ireland on a whim after a business trip to Paris – and within days we knew this was where we wanted to be. We began the process of emigrating shortly after getting back from our trip and in December 2024 we arrived in our new home – only to be greeted by storm Eowyn! We certainly didn’t move here for the weather! Luckily all the reasons we chose Ireland came to the fore – helpful, welcoming and warm people – and we quickly made strides settling into our new home. 

“Naturally there are things about SA which I miss, most of them though are minor, but the big thing would be family and friends. I have one sister, also a CA (I’d like to claim I was her career influence, but if you know my sister, I was not!), who still lives back home with her husband, our mother and grandmother (who recently turned 90!), niece and soon to arrive nephew.”

Marco thrives on complex challenges – whether they’re technical, regulatory or operational. “I love working with clients and teams to solve difficult problems – to get it right ‘without boiling the ocean’. I bring a pragmatic approach and focus on outcomes that work in the real world.”

A strong advocate for innovation in finance, Marco has built several successful alliances with technology partners and is passionate about helping finance teams automate and streamline their reporting processes. “I’m particularly focused on tactical, time-boxed solutions that free up finance teams to spend less time on low-value tasks – and more time on work that really moves the needle for the business.”

Outside of work, Marco enjoys cooking – with a soft spot for Italian and Portuguese cuisine (Marco’s wife is Portuguese) – and is on a quest to find the best deli ingredients in Dublin. He is also an avid hiking and walking enthusiast and will happily do his 10,000 steps a day, most of them while on the phone helping his team and clients.