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meet the team

CECIL BASS

Managing Director

Registered Migration Agent: #0004497
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #1058

 

Cecil has spent many years in the investment and real estate industries, as well as in local government in South Africa. He gained extensive experience in commercial and industrial property, working with leading property developers and institutions.

Cecil was an elected member of the Johannesburg City Council from 1982 to 1994 representing the Democratic Alliance Party and its predecessors. From 1990 to 1994, Cecil was a member of the Council’s management committee, chairing the culture and recreation committee as a well as a number of other committees. He was a member of the Council of Wits University from 1990 to 1994 as well as a member of the University Council’s executive committee. He also held numerous senior positions within the Democratic Alliance Party’s national and regional structures.

 

Cecil migrated to Australia in 1998 and joined Hitchcock & Associates in July 2000 as a partner in the business. He was appointed to the role of Managing Director in September 2002.

His professional and business background enables him to specialise in business skills migration to Australia. He writes Business Skills training material for the Migration Institute of Australia and is a sought after speaker at professional conferences dealing with business migration.

Cecil is a qualified Chartered Accountant and is recognised as one of the leading practitioners in the area of Significant Investor visas and has successfully completed many of these complex applications on behalf of high net worth clients.

Cecil is also acknowledged as a leading professional in the area of Resident Return visas, Distinguished Talent visas and in dealing with complex character issues.

Cecil is a past member of the Migration Advice Industry Advisory Group, providing strategic advise for the Government, including on potential reforms to the legislative framework governing the industry.

Cecil is a member of the Executive Committee of the New South Wales Branch of the Migration Institute of Australia (MIA).

Cecil’s interest ranges from music to sport and the arts as well as taking a keen interest in international affairs.

Jill was born and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa and migrated to Australia in 1993.

Jill has extensive experience in Recruitment and Human Resources in generalist consultancy practices as well as in the retail and corporate industries.

In 1997, Jill founded and co-owned a successful general recruitment consultancy firm which specialized in corporate, accounting and administration staff placements.

Jill joined Hitchcock & Associates in 2003, working in an executive PA and client relations role.

She is currently the Business Manager of the company, ensuring the smooth running of the firm, and taking responsibility for staff, clients, administration and all non-technical aspects of the business.

Suzi holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne and has lived and worked in Asia for more than 10 years.

Registered Migration Agent: #0004144
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #24750

Suzi completed her post graduate studies and became a registered migration agent in 2000.


She has many years of experience advising on employer sponsored and related visas for multinational companies, while living in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong.


On returning to Australia she joined the Hitchcock & Associates Sydney team in March 2021, working on a wide range of visa categories including GSM, GTI, Family visas, RRV and Citizenship applications.


In June 2023, she moved to the Employer Sponsored Visas team at Hitchcock & Associates providing tailored visa solutions to our many corporate clients across the globe.

Sima was born in Iran and migrated to Australia in 2010. Sima graduated in Migration Law from the Australian National University.

Registered Migration Agent: #1807481
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #22154

Sima graduated in Migration Law from the Australian National University (ANU) in 2018 and has been working as a  registered migration agent since January 2019.

She joined Hitchcock & Associates in January 2020 and is currently working in our Employer Sponsored Team on a range of  visa categories including ENS/RSMS, TSS, Partner visas, and citizenship applications.

She is fluent in English and Farsi.

Luli was born in Ningbo, China. She did her primary schooling in her hometown, completed her high school education in the United Kingdom and obtained her Bachelor of Economics in Australia.

Registered Migration Agent: #1799977
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #19057

Luli graduated with a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney in 2014. She obtained her Graduate Certificate of Migration Law from Australia National University in 2017 and became a registered migration agent in the same year.
 

Luli has been working in Hitchcock and Associates since 2015 and she specialises in a range of visa categories including Business Skills, General Skilled Migration, Resident Return and Family Visas. She is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Luka was born in Hanoi, Vietnam and migrated to Australia in 2016. He obtained a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Accounting from Monash University, Melbourne in 2009.

Registered Migration Agent: #2217948
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #26915

Luka holds a Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and is a Registered Migration Agent practising in our Business Skills team as well as managing applications in a number of other visa categories.

Prior to joining Hitchcock & Associates in 2017, Luka had over 5 years’ experience in banking in Vietnam. His education background and work experience enable him to assist in the preparation of the complex business skills applications managed by the firm.

He is fluent in English and Vietnamese.

Sophie was born in China and migrated to Australia with her family in 2016. She came to Australia in 2007 for high school study and completed a Bachelor of Medical Science degree from the University of Sydney.

Registered Migration Agent: #1804640
Member Migration Institute of Australia: #20973

Sophie also holds a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics degree from the University of Sydney and worked in clinical settings for a short period of time.

Due to her interest in the immigration industry, she made a career shift to practice as a Registered Migration Agent following the completion of her Migration Law study at the Australian National University in 2018.

Sophie joined Hitchcock & Associates in June 2023. She works on a variety of visa applications and specializes in General Skilled Migration, Family visas, Student visas and Citizenship applications.

She is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Patricia was born in Malaysia and completed her university studies in Sydney

Patricia graduated with a Bachelor of Economics degree, majoring in Accounting, from Macquarie University in 1985. She worked in various accounting and management positions overseas.

Upon her return to Sydney in 2013, Patricia joined Hitchcock and Associates where she manages the accounts and administration department.

She is proficient in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Malay.

Clare was born and educated in Sydney, Australia and is completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney.

 

Clare has been with Hitchcock and Associates since February 2023 as an Administration Assistant, assisting with the preparation of a range of visa applications including Employer Sponsored, Resident Return, Family, and General Skilled visas. She is passionate about delivering the best service to clients and making the visa application process as smooth as possible.


Clare’s background is in science, education, and administration, and she is an enthusiastic netball fan.

Lisa was born in South Africa and educated in both Portugal and South Africa.

Lisa has a diverse and extensive background in the renewable energy, advertising and hospitality sectors with a specific emphasis on administration, client relations, project coordination, event coordination and social media marketing.

She joined Hitchcock & Associates as the manager of our office in Johannesburg office in November 2020 and is the face of our South African office, taking responsibility for client relations and the coordination and management of all administrative processes.