Her departure was largely motivated by personal reasons, Ms Heighway told SMSF Adviser she wants to have some downtime with her family on the Gold Coast.

“It’s been a fantastic journey and I’m extremely proud of everything the Deloitte SMSF audit team has achieved over the last three years. But for me it’s time to take a well-earned break. I have four children, the youngest being only two who was born within my first year as a Deloitte partner. So I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my family, while I consider what comes next,” Ms Heighway said.

Ms Heighway began her career with Deloitte as a cadet in 1996. She left to start her own SMSF auditing firm, Engage Super Audits, which Deloitte bought from her in 2015.

“After 22 years, it’s time for me to hang up my auditor’s role. However I will never lose my passion for SMSF and mentoring new talent. I consider the SMSF industry like family, and feel very lucky to have enjoyed the loyalty of so many great clients and colleagues over the years,” she said.

“The challenge of bringing new ideas and technology into the audit space has been an exciting learning experience and I’ve had a lot of fun along the way. Now it’s time to relax,” she said.

A Deloitte spokesperson similarly told SMSF Adviser Ms Heighway will be spending time focusing on her family in early 2018. 

Ms Heighway hasn't shied from exploring contentious issues in the SMSF audit space. In particular, she was an early and eager adopter of real-time auditing, the merits and downfalls of which are subject of ongoing debate in the SMSF sector.

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