PwC’s ex-chair signs off one final time; VCAT approves Bondi Sands founder’s home renos

Bondi Sands fake tan founders Shaun Wilson and Blair James.

It’s a slow-motion trainwreck of accountability unfolding at the disgraced local arm of global professional services giant PwC.

Yesterday, former chair of PwC Australia’s board of partners Peter van Dongen exited the firm for the last time, seen off thanks to his role in the tax ­scandal.

It was a fall from grace and humiliating end to the 59-year-old’s career at the accounting giant that began almost 40 years ago when van Dongen joined as an undergraduate in the Melbourne assurance practice.

“I have agreed with PwC to bring forward my planned retirement by a few months, and voluntarily retire,” he told his followers on LinkedIn.

“Today marks my last day.”

Peter van Dongen

In July the executive was named by the firm as one of eight partners that it was forcing to exit the partnership “for ­professional or governance breaches”.

A spokesman for the firm said van Dongen “was given notice of PwC Australia’s findings against him, and a process was started under the Partnership Agreement to remove him from the partnership”.

“He did not contest the findings made by the firm and has retired and exited from the firm.”

The former chair, however, was seeking to characterise his “retirement” as a “short career break”. The market, however, will make its own call on van Dongen’s employability once he’s ready to re-emerge.

“What a wonderful journey,” van Dongen wrote in his sign off.

“Having served the firm in Melbourne, PNG, London and Sydney, and in various leadership roles locally and globally, I am filled with enormous gratitude. Thank you to all of the incredible people who have been part of my journey.

“Now for a short career break – and then to re-emerge for whatever is next …”

The likes of Tuscany never looked so good.

Mixed blessings

What a period of celebration and triumph 42-year-old millionaire Bondi Sands co-founder Blair James has enjoyed over recent months.

Mostly.

On Tuesday came news that James and his business partner and mate, Shaun Wilson, who together founded the wildly successful Port Melbourne skincare brand about a decade ago, had sold their now international fake tan enterprise to listed Japanese cosmetics and chemicals group Kao Corporation for something like $450m.

James was married to his glamorous partner Melanie in a lavish knees-up fit for a millionaire at Lake Como last October, which followed a smaller private ceremony at their historic Kew mansion in September.

Now the couple are poised to have their first child, all faithfully storied to their followers on social media.

But their buffed and tanned charmed life hasn’t all been smooth sailing. In March last year they paid $6.35m for their slice of monied suburbia, set on what the real estate blurb declared was “ arguably the finest street in the coveted Studley Park precinct”.

The coveted residential pocket is, of course, also home to the billionaire Pratt family, including matriarch Jeanne Pratt and her Visy CEO son Anthony Pratt, and their vast Raheen estate.

Wanting to bring their new abode up to millionaire entrepreneur standards, the James couple asked the local Boroondara Council for permission to spend an estimated $2.9m partially demolishing the heritage-listed home and constructing alterations and additions to the already five-bedroom house.

Alas, officials didn’t like the idea and rejected James’ application, which the businessman then took to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which just a couple of months ago approved James’ vision for his own slice of heaven.

Just a long way from the sands of Bondi.