Our Team
John Galatis
John was born in Alexandria, Egypt but grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa to where his parents immigrated when he was 6 years old, and where he completed all his schooling and tertiary education. All his working life has been spent in the accounting and auditing profession. He completed his articles at Glazer Wassyng & Company, after which he spent 3 years with Arthur Young (now Ernest & Young) before becoming a partner at Clothier Poole & Dreyer, a seven partner firm with 30 staff. After 6 years with CP&D he decided to go it alone and established Galatis & Company in 1982 and practiced as a sole proprietor until 2004 when his twin brother Nicholas (Nick) joined him and the partnership Galatis Chartered Accountants was formed. His policy has always been to remain small, independent and flexible.
He has been exposed to most normal situations to do with small to medium businesses and a number of abnormal ones for the size of the practice. He has experience in share transfer work. He was instrumental in listing a client on the JSE and ensuring a smooth transition of its audit to a larger audit practice when it was clear the client was growing to a size beyond the practice’s comfort levels. Accounting and administering of a small casino was another interesting challenge as was the accounting and auditing for a mushroom farm. He was also integrally involved in the successful sale of a clients business to a publicly listed company.
Outside of servicing his clients, he is a trustee of a number of trusts and body corporates, is a past president of the Northcliff Country Club, has been the chairman of the Wanderers Tennis Club for the past 4 years and when he gets the time he enjoys playing tennis and going dancing with his wife Teresa, a champion dancer.
Nick Galatis
CA (SA) of 36 years standing with varied experience in and out of the profession.
Professional experience
Articles and junior partnership with 7 partner Medium sized Audit Firm and 3 years Experience with the "Big four" Coopers & Lybrand (now PWC) prior to taking up junior partnership.
Commercial Experience
Financial Manager with largest outdoor advertising company in SA at the time. Retail experience in owning and managing own retail liquor store. Consulting experience - Foreign Creditors & taxation with the Altron group; Portfolio management with one of the Press brothers of the Edcon group; Franchising and Public company listings and management with Steers (now Famous Brands) and Creative Coffees (coffee chain of House of Coffees).
Competencies cover all audit sections in most commercial, trading and manufacturing environments.