PwC spin-off Scyne appoints veteran businessman as chairman
PwC spin-off firm Scyne Advisory has appointed veteran businessman John Mullen as its inaugural chairman, as it began on Monday its first official day of operations as an independent public sector-focused consulting firm.
New Scyne chairman John Mullen. Dominic Lorrimer
Mr Mullen, the chairman of pallets and logistics giant Brambles, Treasury Wine Estates and the outgoing chairman of Telstra, is the most senior permanent appointment to date at the fledgling operation.
Former PwC partner Richard Gwilym was appointed as the interim chief executive of Scyne in August.
Mr Mullen said Scyne was “already operating at scale” because it had officially taken over any ongoing PwC Australia contracts in the public sector and could now pitch for new work at the federal and state level.
He said the company, formed from PwC’s public sector consulting practice, was creating “a new, specialist model, unconflicted by the private sector, to advise governments, and support their delivery”.
Scyne is made up of about 100 former PwC partners and roughly 1300 former PwC staff. PwC sold the practice to private equity outfit Allegro Funds in July for $1 after the big four firm was effectively cut off from winning new federal government work when the extent of itstax leaks scandal became public in May.
The new consulting outfit will only provide services to public sector organisations, an area where the still-embattled PwC has agreed not to operate.
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