Three senior partners at PwC were stripped of their leadership roles due to violations of the firm’s election rules. One of the partners, Neil Dhar, was thought to be a strong contender for the role of US senior partner but was disqualified. Dhar was also let go from his position as co-leader of the US consulting arm.
John Garvey, the global financial services leader, and Julien Courbe, the global chief client officer, also had their managerial duties removed. This development shocked other senior partners and influenced the US leadership race, which was eventually won by Paul Griggs.
PwC’s US election policies are designed to limit campaigning during partner meetings and digital communications to maintain regular business operations. However, significant breaches of these rules and company policies were discovered, implicating Dhar and his allies.
Following the disqualification of Dhar, three other senior figures were nominated and voted on by PwC’s 4,000 partners in the US and Mexico. In the end, Paul Griggs secured the position over Kathryn Kaminsky and Jenny Koehler and is set to take over from Tim Ryan in July.
This unsettling leadership transition at PwC follows the unexpected leadership change in Australia due to a tax leaks scandal and Tim Ryan’s decision to withdraw from the global leadership race last year. The controversies have raised concerns, but Ellen Walsh, PwC US governance committee chair, ensured that all concerns were promptly and appropriately addressed.
At the close of the financial year in June, PwC is set to undergo significant changes in its top leadership positions both globally and within the UK, US, China, and Japan. Ryan, who was initially considered the top contender for the post of global chair, withdrew his nomination in October amid discussions over his assertive leadership approach. Consequently, the global board decided on Mohamed Kande for the role, who previously shared the helm of the US consulting branch with Dhar. Kande has been the sole leader of this branch since December.
Despite repeated attempts for a comment, Dhar stayed silent, while Garvey and Courbe failed to reply to inquiries regarding the matter. Garvey, on LinkedIn, expressed his intention to leave the firm that he had first joined as an accounting graduate back in 1987, expressing gratitude for his extraordinary and deeply satisfying career journey. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024.
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