Alison was elected by the KPMG partnership to take the role, with the firm announcing her appointment this morning.
According to KPMG, she is a strong advocate for improving trust between the government, business and the community.
She started her career with KPMG in the UK in tax and audit practices before moving to Australia to work in the Perth office. Now based in Melbourne, she’s led teams supporting some of the country’s most complex transactions and transformations.
She’s previously served on the KPMG board, and is a member of Chief Executive Women.
The ‘Big 4’ accounting firms include KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY. They are typically still dominated by men at the partnership level, with the AFR revealing late last year that the proportion of female partners is between 17% (PwC) and 24% (Deloitte).
Deloitte CEO Cindy Hook is the only woman currently leading a ‘Big 4’ firm.
In a statement today, Catherine said she has “boundless energy and enthusiasm” for the new role. “I look forward to utilising my experience to help inform public debate and bridge the current trust deficit between business, politics and society.”
Current KPMG chairman Peter Nash said Alison is well known and respected by boards and CEOs across Australia. “I am delighted to announce Alison as our Chairman-elect and congratulate her on her appointment. She will work closely with Gary Wingrove, our CEO, to lead the firm’s future in Australia, and represent the Australian firm in the international arena.”
She starts as Chair on 1 September 2017.