PwC appoints Amy Lomas as new chief economist for Australia

Professional services firm PwC has appointed Perth-based partner Amy Lomas as its new chief economist for Australia, with Lomas notably bringing energy transition expertise to her new role.

Lomas joined the Big Four firm as a senior manager in 2018 following more than a decade and a half in the Western Australian public sector, and was admitted to the firm’s infrastructure partnership at the end of 2021.

She replaces former chief economist Amy Auster, who departed with her colleagues to Scyne Advisory after less than a year in the role, while her long-serving predecessor Jeremy Thorpe also recently left PwC to take up a director role Sapere.

“With more than 20 years’ experience across the public and private sector, Amy has played a critical role in analysing and driving major projects, largely across the energy and resources sector,” the firm stated. “She will now bring this wealth of knowledge to her new role, spearheading PwC’s economic analysis of topics which impact our people, clients and communities.”

The majority of her two-decade career has been spent in various roles in the Western Australian Department of Treasury, including leading the government’s input on the design of a national emissions trading scheme, while prior to joining PwC she served as policy executive director at the former WA state development department and as chief-of-staff to the planning & transport minister.

Upon her appointment to what is generally one of the highest-profile positions at the firm, Lomas said her priority would be to break down and make sense of the significant economic disruptions impacting businesses across Australia, and that she aims to focus on the “so what” for PwC clients and staff “by cutting through the noise and simplifying the complex world of economics.”

“Identifying how and where economic change will impact – and benefit – business outcomes will be crucial,” Lomas said. “I’ve seen this throughout my career to date, particularly when working on policy development and considering the role of regulation, and I’m looking forward to working with our clients and the wider community to think differently about our most important challenges.”