This Month
Consulting firms offer concessions to head off Trump cuts
Three of the 10 large consultancies facing a Tuesday (AEDT) deadline to submit money-saving proposals offered a menu of options that could cut at least $24 billion.
March
Supermarkets hit back; Yellen slams Musk; Viktor Shvets’ Trump tips
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Accenture warns that Musk-DOGE cost cuts are hurting sales
The Department of Government Efficiency has taken aim at consulting deals as an example of what the administration deems wasteful spending.
Bank innovations a slow and steady process
The big four know they must respond to the rapid changes introduced by start-ups, but modernising respected financial institutions is a tall order.
AI agents the new frontier in digital banking
The new wave of digitisation is overhauling digital banks, but experts warn that differentiation will be increasingly difficult to achieve.
First lady of wind power leans in to discomfort
Failure, courage and empathy are the secret to success of these executives in energy and sustainability.
February
Westpac works with Accenture to deploy AI agents
The bank has already used agentic AI to assist its engineers move code to new cloud-based systems. Triaging mortgage applications could follow.
KPMG pulls DEI reports from website after Trump pressure
The big four firm in the United States has become the latest government contractor to ditch DEI targets.
Forget DEI, McKinsey says ‘diverse meritocracy’ is its workplace goal
The consultancy has long been a big advocate of formal diversity goals. But it has never put in targets or quotas, and has an “aspiration” of gender parity.
Accenture to end DEI policies to comply with Trump
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet advises staff of a global evolution as the consulting giant abandons DEI programs in response to President Donald Trump’s orders.
January
Why co-working operators love the weak office market
US real estate firm Pembroke is opening its first co-working hub and others are expanding, tapping demand from tenants reticent to sign long-term leases.
Trump uses New Orleans attack to push security and border agenda
The incident and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas have fuelled Republican narratives that crime is out of control.
December 2024
What Defence spent on consultants could run submarine fleet for a year
What would Defence’s $811 million in spending on the big five consulting firms in 2022-23 buy? Turns out the answer is quite a lot.
November 2024
Investors cheer TechnologyOne’s earnings surprise
Shares in the Brisbane-based enterprise software firm soared on evidence a new sales model and UK growth were helping it take on giants like SAP.
Accenture readies Future Made in Australia ad blitz
The advertising agency that sells lamb on Australia Day will now sell the government’s Future Made in Australia package.
Labor cuts spending on major consulting firms by $891m over two years
The value of Commonwealth work outsourced to Accenture, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PWC is down to $1.5 billion since Labor took power in mid-2022.
October 2024
These new ‘AI agents’ could change white-collar workforce
A “groundbreaking” development means bots can now work computers like a human, leading people to question whether office workers could be replaced.
ASX drops 1pc; Bad news for your super; The cost of being Young Rich
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Start-up deploys AI to slash consultant costs
A company launched by Accenture’s former head of generative AI uses the tools to streamline costly early legwork by consultants.
September 2024
Why becoming a chief of staff is good for your career
Three top executives who took on the role early in their careers say the position was a springboard to far bigger jobs.