MinterEllison adds seven PwC partners to consulting business
MinterEllison has almost doubled its number of advisory arm partners in a single hit, with a team of seven leaders plucked from PwC set to join the traditional law firm in the coming months.
In what’s beginning to resemble a Game of Thrones, factions from the law, real estate and other sectors are all currently seeking to capitalise on the demise of PwC’s empire to expand their own advisory capabilities.
MinterEllison is the latest, adding 13 decades worth of experience to its consulting wing in areas such as risk and governance, forensics, and data & analytics in its raid on PwC while boosting its partnership numbers to 18.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new partners to the firm, each at the top of their game in these critical sectors. Their unparalleled expertise and insight will undoubtedly enhance our ability to not only meet the current demands of clients but also to help them thrive in their increasingly dynamic and complex operating environments,” stated MinterEllison CEO Virginia Briggs.
The consulting industry, in particular the Big Four, have built up considerable legal services arms in recent years, while luring senior leaders from the traditional law firms. Locally, that trend appears to have now reversed, highlighted by many recent defections back to law land and the law firms themselves now bringing in seasoned consultants to expand their own advisory arms.
While the likes of Ashurst and Lander & Rogers were among those to have tentatively hit back in response to the earlier encroachment of the consulting firms, MinterEllison was an early mover, first launching its technology consulting arm back in 2017 (via the acquisition of ITNewcom) before then bringing in now departed senior EY partner Annette Kimmitt as CEO.
MinterEllison didn’t however stop there, since adding offerings among other areas in ESG (bolstered last year by ex-McKinsey partner Joao Segorbe), cybersecurity (led by Ankura recruit Shannon Sedgwick) and education.
The firm last year also picked up sector specialist Wells Advisory in a deal that boosted MinterEllison’s overall consulting headcount to above 80 professionals.
“While MinterEllison will always fundamentally be a law firm, we will continue to redefine the boundaries of what it means to be a contemporary law firm,” said consulting solutions managing partner Victoria Hepburn. “We are always looking at ways to best respond to our clients’ changing demands, (including) through targeted investment in highly complementary advisory services.”
