KPMG Australia appoints former Labor minister David Bradbury and Jennifer Westacott to new roles
A trio of big names will join KPMG including former Labor minister David Bradbury from the OECD and leading Australian executives weeks after an $80m cost cutting program.
KPMG Australia has appointed a number of senior business leaders and a former politician to the consulting firm as it looks to spearhead growth following a major restructuring.
Former Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott will return to the firm after a 13-year absence to become a special adviser to its delivery teams, while former SBS CEO Michael Ebeid has been named an independent adviser to the national board.
Former Labor minister David Bradbury will start in August as a partner in the consulting business.
KPMG Australia chief executive Andrew Yates said the three recruits were of the highest calibre and would make outstanding contributions to its clients and the firm’s people.
“David, Jennifer and Michael have distinct and deep experience in understanding the critical issues facing organisations from a global and domestic perspective – and conversely, how organisations can best adapt to respond to them,” he said.
“I am confident they will make outstanding additions to our organisation, both for our people and our clients.”
It comes after KPMG cut new partner numbers back by 45 per cent in the past financial year to 52 following a downturn in the sector which saw it announce a major restructure including $80m cost cutting program to reshape and simplify its consulting business. This impacted 250 jobs with about 200 redundancies.
Mr Bradbury’s will focus on business transformation and will be tasked with helping clients who are looking to rapidly transform and evolve their businesses to deal with cost pressures, regulatory demands and the imperative to digitalise and modernise.
He was an assistant treasurer during the Rudd-Gillard government and the Member for Lindsay between 2007 and 2013. Most recently he was based in Paris as Deputy Director of the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. He said that he was pleased to be returning to Australia and was motivated to lift productivity in businesses in a challenging global environment.
“The firm has offered me the chance to move into a broader role – beyond tax – where I will work with highly motivated and talented teams and to use my skills and experience to help businesses lift their productivity and succeed in an increasingly complex and challenging global environment,” he said.
KPMG said Ms Westacott’s new role will span both client and internal responsibilities by helping internally, supporting directors and new partners on leadership development. It will add to her growing list of roles including Chancellor of Western Sydney University and chair of Geoff Wilson’s Future Generation Global fund.
Until 2011, she was KPMG’s national lead partner of sustainability, climate change and water practice.
Ms Westacott said she passionately believed that strengthening and deepening Australia’s economy is the key to delivering a more cohesive and secure nation.
I am very pleased to be returning to KPMG, an organisation that puts people first and has the expertise and commitment to contribute to the big-ticket policy solutions to some of Australia and the world’s most pressing challenges.”
Ms Westacott will join KPMG this month with Mr Ebeid who will give expert advice to KPMG Australia’s National Board on technology, digital transformation and culture. He is currently chairman of Screen Australia and has held a number of executive roles at Telstra, SBS and Optus.
Originally published as KPMG Australia appoints former Labor minister David Bradbury and Jennifer Westacott to new roles
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