Meet the team
We're more than just advisors; we're your partners in navigating the complexities of financial hardship and business. We invite you to meet our team and discover how we can work together to turn today's challenges into tomorrow's triumphs.
Our team is a blend of experienced professionals, each with a unique skill set, bound by a common goal: to guide individuals and businesses through their most challenging times and towards individualised solutions. We are also committed to regular mental health & crisis support training with St John Ambulance, ensuring our team is well-equipped to provide compassionate and effective support during challenging times.
We believe in a collaborative approach, combining our extensive knowledge across various industries to offer strategic, personalised advice that not only addresses today's challenges but also anticipates tomorrow's opportunities.
We are your navigation partners.
We are a conduit to taking weight off shoulders and reducing the stress that comes from having to rebuild finances and a future.
Managing Director
Thyge Trafford-Jones
Thyge is a Registered Liquidator, Registered Small Business Restructuring Practitioner and Registered Bankruptcy Trustee.
He is a member of the Australian Reconstruction, Insolvency & Turnaround Association and CPA Australia. He is also a Justice of the Peace.
Thyge uses his life skills and 20 + years of broad experience to develop mutual trust and understanding with people who are facing what is probably the greatest financial difficulty that they will ever experience in their lives.
Jack Sampson
Senior Manager – Insolvency & Restructuring
Jack Sampson is a Senior Manager at TTJ Advisory, with over 10 years of experience helping individuals and businesses through insolvency and restructuring.
Jack takes a down-to-earth and understanding approach, knowing that financial problems affect real people. He’s easy to talk to and helps clients feel supported throughout the process.
Outside of work, Jack plays water polo and has a big passion for rugby. He’s a loyal Cronulla Sharks supporter – Go the Sharkies!
Melissa Daubney
Small Business Restructuring Client Liason
Melissa brings a rare blend of business acumen and compassion to her role at TTJ Advisory.
With a background in sales and marketing, and firsthand experience running her own small business, Melissa is known for going above and beyond to support individuals and small business owners through challenging times, ensuring they feel heard, understood, and in control of the path forward.
When she’s not supporting clients, Melissa is a proud mum of four boys and a master of juggling family life with work. Her secret weapons? Coffee, spreadsheets, and a great sense of humour.
TTJ Senior Team
"I became an Accountant because I understand numbers and business. Then I specialised and became an insolvency practitioner because I understand people."
My job involves an ugly word that doesn't get much air time at dinner parties: BANKRUPTCY.
People in financial difficulty need a route out of their problems and to realise mistakes are human—and being a regulated debtor isn’t a life sentence.
I’m one of around 200 private trustees in Australia who can plan and help implement that route for individuals. It’s a hard ticket to get, for a reason.
We have people’s future prosperity in our hands. I take it very seriously, giving clarity via consistency, clear communication and transparency. Just don’t expect the kid glove treatment. I’m empathetic but not sympathetic. What you’ll get is straight talking, unvarnished truths, hard questions and occasionally the riot act.
Why? Because nobody with insolvency and bankruptcy needs a shonky salesman promising quick fixes to magic away debts and troubles. In the real professional world—my world—it doesn’t work like that.
You’ll get long-term, proven strategies born from working in insolvency for two decades. I’m a conduit to taking weight off shoulders and reducing the stress that comes from having to rebuild finances and a future.
While my financial expertise comes from a history with thousands of clients, the people connection part is thanks to me taking a while to find my thing. In my twenties, I ran pubs, built a business, fixed windows and built a house.
It gives me great satisfaction to use my life skills and broad experience to develop mutual trust and understanding with people in a dark place. Rather than seeing me as the enemy, I’m an agent of positive change.
Staying afloat in deep water by being strategic and responsible is also my passion away from work. I’m a lifelong offshore sailor with 5 Sydney to Hobarts under my belt, a sometime surfer and bike rider who wants to be a kayaker.
And I’m a dad of four who’s good at ironing and giving fatherly advice, mostly that money doesn’t grow on trees and that a failure at whatever you try to achieve is the first attempt in learning.
- Thyge
"You’ll get long-term, proven strategies born from working in insolvency for two decades. I’m a conduit to taking weight off shoulders and reducing the stress that comes from having to rebuild finances and a future."
Frequently Asked Questions
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What if the company can’t pay debts to creditors?In this case, you may need a Voluntary Administrator (VA) or a Small Business Restructuring (SBR) practitioner. TTJ Advisory can help by: Identifying tax debts tied to director penalties, Negotiating with creditors for debt compromises, Generating working capital through restructuring to address outstanding debts, and Sourcing funding through future profits, personal contributions, or third-party funds. This proactive approach gives you a structured plan to manage debts while preserving the company's ability to operate.
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Is liquidation necessary if i can’t pay the debts?In cases where there is no chance of recovery, commencing liquidation will stop the clock on the DPN and help directors avoid personal liability under certain circumstances. Our in house liquidator will assist you through the process.
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I have been issued a lockdown DPN - what do I do next?Lockdown Director Penalty Notices (DPNs) are issued to directors when a company fails to submit its business activity statements (BAS), instalment activity statements, or superannuation guarantee statements within three months of the due date. Once a lockdown DPN is issued, the penalty becomes fixed, meaning the director is personally liable for the unpaid debt. This liability cannot be removed or cancelled through any other means except by paying off the debt in full. Placing the company into voluntary administration or liquidation will not extinguish this personal liability.
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What are your options once you receive a lockdown DPN?Pay the Debt in Full: The most direct and essential option is to pay off the company’s tax debt in full. This is the only way to clear the liability imposed by a Lockdown DPN. Personal Insolvency Agreement (PIA): This is a legally binding agreement where the director makes a proposal to creditors (such as the ATO) to settle the debts over time or partially. A PIA allows the director to avoid bankruptcy, but it requires the appointment of a bankruptcy trustee to manage the agreement. The trustee will take control of the director's assets and administer the terms of the agreement, including negotiating with creditors. Bankruptcy: If the director is unable to pay the debt or arrange a PIA, declaring bankruptcy may be the final option. In this case, a bankruptcy trustee is appointed to manage the director’s assets and debts. The trustee will oversee the liquidation of assets to pay off the debts and handle communications with creditors, including the ATO.
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How are creditor payments prioritised in liquidation?Payments follow a set order, prioritising employee entitlements and secured creditors before other unsecured debts. Unsecured creditors can file claims and receive distributions based on available funds and the priority order.
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