NewsBite

Conflict of interest

September

Nick Humphrey has ambitious plans for Hamilton Locke’s growth.

Legal privilege an ‘attraction’ in law firm’s consulting play

HPX Group chief executive Nick Humphrey says rolling consulting services into a legal practice means clients have a better chance of taking advantage of legal privilege.

  • Maxim Shanahan

May

States should give the power to regulate partnerships of economic significance to the federal government.

Consulting firm fixes are impractical and an overreach

More importantly, they are not necessary to correct a deficiency in the regulation of delinquent behaviour, says the former ACCC chairman.

  • Graeme Samuel

April

PwC Australia CEO Kevin Burrowes wants to draw a line under the PwC tax leaks scandal.

Burrowes wants everyone to move on from PwC’s tax scandal

“We feel we’re in a good position now to start to turn to a new chapter, look to the future and drive the firm with a new strategy,” the PwC chief executive says.

  • Ronald Mizen and Maxim Shanahan

Tax Office warns law firms over consulting push

ATO second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn said he was worried law firms would repeat the mistakes of the big four professional services firms with their push into consulting.

  • Maxim Shanahan

March

Kristin Stubbins, former PwC Australia acting CEO, is appearing today at the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

It’s time to clean up the consulting sector once and for all

We cannot allow the pendulum to swing back to the unacceptable status quo where greed, deceit and conflict of interests are allowed to thrive.

  • Deborah O'Neill
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February

Allegro founding partner and Scyne board member Adrian Loader.

Scyne v EY: Allegro’s Adrian Loader just wedged the consulting sector

By separating itself from PwC, Scyne and its private equity backer Allegro have created a huge problem for rivals that don’t want to follow its example. 

  • Updated
  • James Thomson

January

Mathias Cormann did “some work” for Luke Sayers after leaving government.

Mathias Cormann did ‘some work’ for ex-PwC boss Luke Sayers

The new revelations follow Luke Sayers admitting that his new firm Sayers Group granted Cormann some shares before he took the OECD job.

  • Hannah Wootton

November 2023

Deloitte is facing allegations of “double handling”.

Deloitte accused of double-dealing Honda sellers

Honda dealers are suing their parent company, and say auditors Deloitte used their confidential accounts data to help the car manufacturer buy them out cheaply.

  • Jessica Sier

September 2023

The seeming mismatch between the loose partnership form and more corporate-style governance is a legitimate issue.

The who, why and what of the PwC tax leak scandal

Finding a way to straighten out the structural issue would be the constructive way for the entire professional services sector to move on from a bad patch.

  • The AFR View
Former KPMG partner Brendan Lyon at a public hearing in July.

KPMG partner spat still rages

It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.

  • Myriam Robin

August 2023

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Firms’ ‘land and expand’ strategy costing taxpayers $1.2m a day

Contract extensions since 2019-20 for PwC, EY, Deloitte, KPMG and Accenture total over $1 billion, raising questions about taxpayer-funded procurement practices.

  • Ronald Mizen

July 2023

Consulting giant McKinsey & Company says none of its Australian partners have faced bullying complaints in the past five years.

McKinsey claims to have bullying and harassment-free workplace

It comes as the firm refuses to appear before a Senate inquiry into consulting firms’ workplace management and conflicts of interest.

  • Hannah Wootton
Greens Senator Barbara Pocock says Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey need to respect parliamentary processes.

Senate may compel BCG, McKinsey to talk on conflicts of interest

Labor and Greens senators say they are determined to hear from the firms, warning they are not above parliamentary scrutiny.

  • Hannah Wootton and Tom McIlroy

May 2023

EY is not fussy in who it will advise on carbon offsets.

EY cashes in on offset conflicts

The big four consulting firm is pushing the carbon credit market to a slew of clients. It is just neglecting to mention many of those offsets are allegedly shams.

  • Hannah Wootton

December 2022

Jim Soorley is chairman of government-owned power outfit CS Energy.

Secret consultancy of ALP heavyweight Jim Soorley revealed

When Brisbane’s ex-mayor chaired a ratepayer-backed water utility, he quietly became a “consultant” to a business working with the utility.

  • Liam Walsh and Mark Ludlow
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EY assurance boss Glenn Carmody hopes splitting the firm’s audit division from its consulting arm will allow him to pitch for more clients.

EY ‘to tender for most audits’ post split

Speaking about the firm’s proposed separation of its audit and consulting arms for the first time, Glenn Carmody said the move would help EY get more audit clients.

  • Hannah Wootton

August 2022

Bain banned from UK state work over ‘grave misconduct’ in South Africa

The intervention came after pressure from Lord Peter Hain, the veteran anti-apartheid campaigner, who had urged Boris Johnson’s government to punish Bain for its ‘despicable’ behaviour.

  • George Parker and Michael O’Dwyer in London
Christoph Schweizer

Boston Consulting in ‘nepotism’ row over work experience for partners’ kids

The US-based consultancy ran the program, consisting of days of workshops, this month for about 30 children of the firm’s managing directors and partners.

  • Kadhim Shubber and Michael O’Dwyer

March 2021

Partners in Performance has made three new hires.

Partners in Performance seals three hires

Global consultancy outfit Partners in Performance has bolstered its local technology, infrastructure and government practices with three new partner hires. 

  • Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald and Tim Boyd

February 2020

Former PwC partner and Financial Reporting Council chairman Bill Edge at the inquiry into audit quality.

AFR readers want more disclosure from PwC and PM

More than 90 per cent of readers believe that PwC partners who take on corporate roles after retirement should disclose ongoing payments from their old firm.

  • Natasha Gillezeau

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/consulting-conflict-of-interest-1mqd