Consulting leaders awarded Member of the Order of Australia
A number of current and former consulting leaders have been recognised for their significant contributions with a Member of the Order of Australia award on this year’s Australia Day Honours List.
Among the 177 recipients this year to receive a Member of the Order of Australia – which is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to a particular group or in a particular locality or field of activity – are a pair of senior PwC professionals (Kristin Stubbins and Amanda Rischbieth) and Angela Coble from Accenture.
Stubbins, PwC’s managing partner for Assurance, was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to the financial sector, women, and the community, while ESG senior advisor Rischbieth received an award for her service to public health administration and governance.
A partner at PwC for almost the past nineteen years, Stubbins in 2020 joined the firm’s executive board as audit business leader, before last year being appointed head of Assurance with responsibility across PwC’s national audit and risk practices. In addition, Stubbins co-founded and chairs the PwC and University of Sydney digital mental health services joint venture Innowell, and is board member of several organisations involved in conservation and female empowerment.
Stubbins stated that she was honoured and grateful to receive the Member of the Order of Australia: “The award is for significant services to the financial sector, women and the community and I feel like I am being recognised for doing the things I love – working with fantastic teams of people to try to deliver the absolute best we can.”
A doctorate-holder in health sciences from the University of Adelaide, Rischbieth has been working with PwC as a senior advisor on ESG since 2021. She has been a visiting scientist at the Harvard University’s public health school over the past five years, while current roles include chair of the National Blood Authority. Along with a directorship career spanning more than 20 years, Rischbieth also previously served as CEO of the Heart Foundation.
Coble, a Managing Director of Technology, Transformation & Executive Advisory at Accenture, was lauded for her service to the business community. Among other contributions noted, Coble has helped improve the participation of women in leadership roles, supported education within the technology industry, and served as a coach and role model for next generation leaders.
Ex-consulting leaders
Meanwhile, several former executives and leaders of Accenture and the Big Four have also been recognised for their significant service on the 2023 Australia Day Honours List, including Jane Hemstritch, Steve Scudamore, and Sarah Merridew, who between them spent close to 75 years combined at their respective firms.
Current president of medical research institute the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Jane Hemstritch was awarded with an Officer of the Order of Australia award, given to those with a distinguished record of service of a high degree in Australia or to humanity at large. Hemstrich previously led Accenture’s Asia Pacific business during her 25 years at the firm, before later serving as the chair of the Accenture Foundation.
Fellow recipients Sarah Merridew and Steve Scudamore have also led at the top level, the former as managing partner of Deloitte in Tasmania and the latter as KPMG’s chairman of partners in Western Australia.
Scudamore altogether spent close to three decades as a partner at the firm, holding a number of national leadership positions during his time. Merridew, meanwhile, was a decade-long partner at Deloitte, appointed in 1993 as one of only three female partners at the time.
