Ex-Carlton president Luke Sayers is leaving the role of executive chairman at the consulting company he co-founded, but will remain on the board in a director’s position.
The former PwC CEO has unsurprisingly been keeping his head down for much of this year. Regular readers will recall a rather revealing post that found its way onto his social media profile in January (which also tagged a female employee from Bupa Health Insurance, for good measure).
Luke Sayers chatting to CBD at the grand prix in March. Credit: Joe Armao
Sayers, who insists the lewd image was the work of a particularly vengeful hacker, quickly apologised and deactivated his X account. An AFL investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing, determining his profile was compromised. He resigned from Carlton to save the club and his family from further scrutiny.
Until now, we’ve been scratching our heads about the future of the consulting firm he co-founded in 2020.
Currently called Tenet Advisory & Investments but formerly known as Sayers Group, the company undertook a major rebrand in May following the aforementioned internet scandal. A media statement released at the time alluded to future governance changes.
Ian Silk will slot into the role of chairman. Until earlier this week, he was chair of Crown Melbourne (Martin Pakula took over that role on Tuesday). Silk was the CEO of AustralianSuper for 15 years, and is a director of the Hawthorn Football Club.
Former Victoria politician Jaala Pulford will join the firm as a non-executive director. Pulford served as deputy leader of the upper house until 2018, and chose not to recontest her seat at the 2022 state election.
“We are delighted to welcome Ian and Jaala to our board … These appointments come at a pivotal time as Tenet continues to advance through its next phase of strategic growth,” Sayers said in a statement on Wednesday.
The great Canberra staff shuffle
It’s been a busy time for those of us who are fans of the behind-the-scenes movements in the hallowed hallways of federal parliament.
This column recently reported that Mark Davis (partner of Katharine Murphy, another recently resigned staffer for that matter) was leaving his chief-of-staff position with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. Nigel Bruce is set to take his place. But that shake-up is really just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s the season for staff changes at Parliament House.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Maggie Lloyd is stepping back from her role as chief of staff for Catherine King, the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government. Long-time readers will recall that Lloyd was once a press secretary for former PM Kevin Rudd. Joseph Solomon will return to King’s office to fill Lloyd’s spot – welcome back, Joseph.
And that’s not all. Penny Wong’s press secretary, Caitlin Raper, is leaving the job after five years. Before her political career, Raper worked as a producer at outlets including Sky News Australia, the Seven Network and Al Jazeera in the UK.
The prime minister’s office hasn’t been safe from this staffing exodus either. Prue Mercer, who has worked in politics for decades and is one of Anthony Albanese’s senior advisers, announced her departure via a gushing memo on LinkedIn (which included a lovely tribute to the PM, whom Mercer will now “proudly watch from the sidelines”.)
Another Albanese staffer, Phoebe Drake, is also set to leave Parliament House this month, after 13 years working for Albo.
Phew! It’s almost like a game of musical chairs. We’re going to need a few moments to catch our breath.
Top me up, Starmer!
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proved to be a disappointment. The former public prosecutor was always going to be left in the dust in terms of supplying CBD fodder compared with his predecessors Liz Truss (a 2019 Parliament House Midwinter Ball attendee as UK trade minister) and Boris Johnson (how long have you got?).
A matter of taste: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Credit: AP
But we were immensely pleased to note that Starmer was recently revealed to be a fan of one of the highest forms of Aussie produce – and we are not talking Vegemite.
This week Sunday Times writer Josh Glancy revealed how he caught up with Starmer on a train in Ukraine after the PM met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv along with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Starmer joined the British media carriage and politely refused a small beer. As Glancy recounted:
“Perhaps some Yellow Tail chardonnay?”
Peer pressure kicks in.
“Go on then, just a small one,” Starmer says. He takes a few polite sips.
Zelensky, he feels, has recovered from his February mauling in the Oval Office and is back on form.
“After about 10 minutes Starmer’s hyperactive flacks start looking at their watches. “I’ve got to go and see Emmanuel,” he explains.
Would he like to take the rest of the Yellow Tail with him, as a gift to Monsieur le President?
“I think that would probably sink Anglo-French relations,” the British PM says with a grin.
Well, Sir Keir, you had us and then you lost us.
One suspects the Riverina’s Casella family won’t be rushing to No.10 with a commemorative YT crate. Ever.
And don’t tell us you were going to present Macron with an English Furleigh Estate Dorset Coast Special Reserve wine. He’d tell you to stick it up yer AUKUS.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.