February
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.
‘Man in a hurry’: Luke Sayers’ bumpy road to the top of PwC
Before he became boss of the auditing and consulting giant, the ambitious partner was fined for behavioural breaches and apologised to a group of female partners for unspecified past behaviour.
Dozens of PwC China partners step aside after audit ban
The disclosure suggests the big four firm has lost state-owned and finance sector clients.
January
Disciplinary body drops investigation into former PwC tax partner
CA ANZ has discontinued an investigation into Wayne Plummer, but says other former partners are still being investigated.
December 2024
EY sues five partners who left for Alvarez & Marsal
The civil action comes as EY’s leadership asks at least eight partners to leave as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
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.
PwC in talks to offload insolvency unit to Teneo
Insolvency teams have a long history of moving in and out of the big four firms as they become frustrated at being constantly conflicted out of work.
November 2024
The big winners as scandal forces big four into retreat
Mid-sized firms such as those run by Steve Meyn of PKF, Jamie O’Rourke of RSM and Annabelle Clare of Walshs had their best year on record as clients move away from out-of-favour big players.
October 2024
EY to hold back some pay from US partners after tough year
The big four accounting firm tries to manage cash flow issues by deferring 2 per cent of annual compensation.
Lloyd’s of London tracking Monday office attendance
It comes amid growing concerns across businesses that workers are either flouting demands to come into the office more regularly or effectively extending the weekend.
September 2024
The most powerful people in the consulting sector in 2024
As the fallout from the PwC scandal still looms large, smaller operations are moving in on the big four’s turf.
Revealed: the former EY partner being sued by the ATO
Peter White allegedly took $700,000 in secret commissions while setting up illegal tax schemes for wealthy clients.
PwC banned from China for six months and fined record $92m
Chinese authorities imposed a huge fine on PwC and suspended the accounting firm from operating over failures in auditing the collapse of real estate giant Evergrande.
Deal struck on laws to rein in rogue tax agents
The government and accounting industry have agreed to new wording for laws to rein in rogue tax agents to quell industry fears they would have to disclose mental health information to clients.
PwC to parachute in UK partner to run scandal-hit China business
The accounting firm’s global leaders have tapped Hemione Hudson, a runner-up in the race to lead PwC UK earlier this year, to lead the China operation.
Deloitte brings back face-to-face UK graduate interviews
The move comes amid pressure from the accounting regulator for firms to clamp down on the potential for cheating in virtual assessments.
Labor shift over crackdown on tax agents
The new stance was announced after a meeting between Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and a coalition of 10 professional associations.
PwC UK to track workers’ locations in office attendance crackdown
The big four firm will send British employees their monthly working location data as it toughens up on its hybrid working policy.
August 2024
Tax agents won’t have to disclose mental health help: government
The government has again denied claims tax agents would have to disclose private mental health information to clients, and is open to tweaking the new laws.
Luke Sayers lands and expands in the capital
Unburdened by the PwC fallout, Sayers is hiring in Canberra. A look at the federal tenders won by his firm helps explains why.