Dr Craig West

About Craig

Dr Craig West is a specialist in business succession and exit planning, and the founder and chairman of Succession Plus — Australia's largest business succession and exit planning company, with a presence in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since establishing the firm in 2009 he has worked with business owners to build the value of their businesses and plan for the transitions that will define their financial futures. He has been named Exit Planner of the Year at the Exit Planning Institute annual conference in Texas, and was inducted into the Institute's Circle of Excellence in 2024.

Craig holds a Doctor of Business Administration, with doctoral research into the key drivers of succession and exit, along with a Master of Tax Law and a Master of Business in Accounting and Finance. He has published six books on asset protection, business valuation, succession planning, exit strategies and employee ownership. He also acts as non-executive chairman for several mid-market businesses, where his focus is ownership mindset and corporate governance.

Succession sits at the intersection of business strategy, financial planning, family dynamics and personal legacy — one of the most difficult problems a business owner will face, and one most leave too late. Craig brings the authority of deep technical expertise and the accessibility of a practitioner who has sat across the table from owners at every stage of their journey. His presentations cut through the technical complexity of succession planning to the practical, strategic and human decisions business leaders actually need to make, which makes him a strong fit for professional services conferences, SME forums and financial services audiences.