Leadership team for former PwC government consulting business revealed

Allegro Funds has revealed its choice of leadership for PwC’s former government consulting business which it bought for $1.

Ben Neal (Scyne), Fay Bou (Allegro), Adrian Loader (Allegro), Tim Jackson (Scyne) and Diane Rutter (Scyne). Picture: Renee Nowytarger

The new leadership team of PwC Australia’s former government consulting business, which it sold to Allegro Funds for $1, has been unveiled with 24-year veteran of the firm, Richard Gwilym, set to lead the new operation.

Mr Gwilym, who has been a partner at PwC for nine years, will take on the job of interim managing partner of Scyne Advisory pending the final section of a chief executive for the consultancy.

Mr Gwilym takes on the role as managing partner after three years in the leadership team of PwC’s consulting business.

Richard Gwilym. Picture: Supplied

Scyne’s core leadership team will boast four other former PwC partners representing parts of the new consulting business.

This includes incoming leader of the “geographies group” of Scyne, David Sacks, representing the different states and territories that will form part of the new business.

The new leadership of Scyne is set to be structured around a state and territory model and will boast a presence in each.

Mr Sacks will have responsibility for leading Scyne’s Victorian and Tasmanian business.

Joshua Chalmers, who represents the “capabilities group” will also sit on the leadership team.

The capabilities group is made up of the different practices within the new Scyne business.

It will be structured around the capability groups strategy and transformation, risk and services, data and digital, and infrastructure.

Mr Chalmers will also lead Scyne’s Risk Services team.

Emily Prior, who will lead the strategy and go to market team for Scyne, will also sit on the executive team.

This is in addition to people and internal communications boss Kate Evans and former politician and head of Scyne’s South Australian business Jamie Briggs, who will lead the company’s government and external communications operations.

Mr Briggs was key to the negotiations around the sale of PwC’s government consulting business, calling politicians in the days leading up to its announcement to flag the impending sale.

Allegro purchased PwC’s government consulting business in July after contracts with the commonwealth and state governments dried up. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

An extended leadership team will support the senior leadership of Scyne, with the heads of the remaining capabilities units and geographies taking part.

This includes strategy and transformation boss Tim Jackson, data and digital lead Cath Eastwood, and Adrian Box for the infrastructure practice.

Scyne’s NSW head Diane Rutter, Queensland’s Chris Rogan, Western Australia’s Tricia Tebbutt, and Ben Neal for the ACT operation will all sit on the extended team.

Allegro purchased PwC’s government consulting business in July after contracts with the commonwealth and state governments dried up in the wake of revelations PwC misused confidential tax briefings to frontrun new laws aimed at forcing multinational companies pay more tax.

Allegro will provide Scyne supporting teams as it moves to set up its operational functions as it splits the government consulting business off from PwC.

Allegro revealed Scyne would be led by former Federal Court judge Andrew Greenwood in July, along with plans to inject almost $100m into capitalising the firm as it seeks to strike out on its own.

Mr Greenwood will chair Scyne’s probity, conflicts and ethics committee, which will review all members of the executive and extended leadership teams.

The announcement of the leadership team comes after Allegro and Scyne wrapped up a tour of PwC’s government consulting offices to outline the plans for the new operation.

Allegro has agreed to transfer all existing employee benefits on offer to PwC staff to the new Scyne operation, including the firm’s well-liked parental leave scheme.