PwC appoints Carmel Mulhern as independent director to board
As part of its promised reforms, professional services firm PwC has appointed legal eagle Carmel Mulhern as the third independent non-executive member to its Australia governance board.
Mulhern previously served as group general counsel at both the Commonwealth Bank and Telstra, and is also an advisory board member for the University of Melbourne’s centre for artificial intelligence and digital ethics.
Her appointment follows that of newly installed chair John Green and Lisa Chung as independent directors early this month, which forms part of a governance reform package enacted in the wake of the firm’s government tax scandal.
“We expect Carmel’s executive and legal background to add another layer of enhanced governance to our firm, facilitating robust challenge and oversight to drive positive outcomes.” Green stated. Her experience working with some of Australia's biggest and most highly-regulated businesses will serve us well as we move into the next stage of delivering on our commitments to change.”
Notably, all three of PwC’s recent independent director recruits bring an extensive legal background to the firm’s ten-strong governance board, with Green having spent the first part of his career as a partner at two of Australia’s leading law firms before a switch to financial services, and Chung likewise spending two decades in law, including as Sydney managing partner at Blake Dawson.
Adding to that mix is Mulhern, a law graduate from the University of Queensland with a masters in corporate governance from Monash. After earlier time as a solicitor, she joined Telstra, working her way up to general council and executive for legal & corporate affairs over the space of 20 years. Crossing at the start of 2020, she then served in the same role at CBA until departing last year.
At the time of her latter appointment, Mulhern was described as a tech-savvy lawyer who could help overhaul the bank's governance systems and checks in the wake of its AML failures. In addition to her AI and digital ethics advisory role at Melbourne Uni, she also presently serves as a director of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation and Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne.
“I’m delighted to be joining PwC’s governance board and excited to have the opportunity to contribute my insights and help oversee the firm's continued transformation,” said Mulhern, who starts from next month. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the broader PwC Australia team to achieve positive change for the people who work with and at the firm.”
