PwC Australia signs Qantas veteran Karen Lonergan to oversee HR changes

The embattled accounting firm has turned to a long-term Qantas employee, now chief people officer at Stockland, to help oversee its cultural transformation following its tax scandal.

PwC Australia has hired Karen Lonergan as its new chief people officer.

PwC Australia has recruited Karen Lonergan from property developer Stockland as its new chief people officer after major job lay-offs as the accounting and advisory firm looks to rebuild following its tax scandal.

Ms Lonergan has worked at Stockland for the past five years as its chief people and stakeholder engagement officer and before that held similar roles at David Jones and Woolworths and spent 13 years climbing the ranks at Qantas.

As a member of PwC’s leadership team, Ms Lonergan will play a role in delivering on the commitments the firm made to enhance its culture, as outlined in its action plan.

PwC Australia chief Kevin Burrowes, who recently signed on to stay in the top job for a further two years, said Ms Lonergan would bring a wealth of knowledge to the role at an important time for the firm and its people.

“PwC has taken swift and significant steps to advance its cultural transformation over the last several months, yet we know meaningful change takes time.

“Karen will be an asset to our leadership team and is the right person to ensure the steps we have taken to date are comprehensively embedded into the fabric of the firm.”

PwC Australia was embroiled in a major tax scandal last year. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire

Ms Lonergan is due to start on July 1 and said she was eager to join the firm and to build on the transformation work already underway at PwC.

“I am excited to be joining an organisation which is committed to enhancing its culture and has placed a strong emphasis on people experience,” she said.

“As the firm continues to make progress on its commitments to change, I look forward to contributing to its continued growth and success.”

Ms Lonergan is the permanent replacement for former PwC head of culture Catherine Walsh who jumped ship to Qantas at the start of the year as its chief people officer. During Ms Lonergan’s time at Qantas, she held roles including HR executive manager – Qantas International – and performance and culture executive manager.

The appointment of Ms Lonergan comes after PwC recently axed at least 329 staff and a further 37 partners were confirmed to leave the embattled accounting and advisory firm as part of a “simplified, efficient and centre-led” restructure.

The firm also announced it would reconfigure its management structure, including adding a chief financial officer and chief information officer.

The changes come in the wake of a review of PwC’s governance structure by corporate veteran Ziggy Switkowski.

Mr Burrowes added that he hoped to work with Ms Lonergan to ensure PwC remained at the forefront of workplace schemes such as paid parental leave and tackling the gender pay gap.

Consultancy firms have come under the spotlight from politicians and the public in the wake of the PwC tax scandal last year, which erupted after it was revealed confidential tax briefings were shared with members of the firm by its former head of international tax, Peter Collins. PwC used these briefings to sell strategies to clients to attempt to minimise their tax.

PwC International global chair Bob Moritz last week rejected a request by the Senate to publish the Linklater review in full, saying the contents were legally privileged and confidential.