PwC has launched an energy transition team, enticing professionals away from several competitors.
Toby Kent, who has built up in sustainable development and corporate sustainability business consulting service ResilientCo (formerly known as EllisKent Consulting) over the past two years alongside Brett Ellis has left the company for new grounds.
The new job, he says, “had to be something pretty exciting to entice me away”.
He moves to PwC – where he previously held the role of assistant director from 2008 to 2012 until he left to be head of sustainable development at ANZ.
At PwC he joins the ESG and sustainability team, as partner in energy transition. The work is with private clients and is headed up by sustainability leader Varya Davidson, with executive sponsorship from Liza Maimone.
Tony Histon also joined the team from Accenture, where he was managing director of energy transmission and distribution for Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East for 14 years.
They will be working alongside Mark Allsop who moved from Deloitte, Graham MacGregor who was promoted internally, and Danny Bessell who was previously at Rothschild.
Kent says he will be working closely with Martina Crowley and Jade Dixon, alongside Natalie Kyriacou.
“Privately owned and non-listed companies make up a significant proportion of Australia’s workforce and economy. They are going to be critical in shifting to a low carbon, sustainable future,” he said.
“Many of them are businesses built on the concept of legacy. Being around for the long term is inherent in those but every one, large and small, has work to do to realise the opportunity.”
At ResilientCo Mirna Ari, Natalie Staaks, Shehani N,Tia Baptista, Rebecca Rennie, Kate Siebert, and Deborrah Jepsen will keep the business firing.
Its specialty is resilience strategy, disaster and risk management, and community resilience practice – and there’ll be plenty of work on that front, we’ll bet.
Urbanist professional Vanessa Trowell from Weston Williamson + Partners will be stepping into the role of chair of the Living Future Institute of Australia board and biophilic design committee, replacing Suzie Barnett after six years.
News this week also advised that Neil Arckless of Lendlease and Peri Macdonald of ARK Capital Funds (previously Frasers Property) will be deputy co chairs and Louise Norton will be secretary.
Ian Davies has started in the role of director of circular economy at the Australasian Furnishing Association, where he will be encouraging local manufacturing to use ethically sourced materials and minimise waste through circular design and design-for-disassembly.
Previously a freelance circular economy practitioner at the helm of his business Circular Business Group, Davies headed up the Hume City Council’s Circular Business Network until recently. His role was to engage with businesses in the Hume municipality on circularity principles and practice, and assisting and providing advice and direction in regards to waste, water, energy, wastewater.
Over in the architecture world, Phi Bang Do has been named associate director – environmental discipline lead in multi-disciplinary design studio McGregor Coxall’s blue and green infrastructure team. He was previously at Ramboll as a senior managing consultant in water infrastructure and climate adaptation.
Mark Broomfield, who led the $1.5 billion master planning and redevelopment of Macquarie University Campus in Macquarie Park, and the acquisition of over $3 billion in properties for ING Group and its subsidiaries, has founded a consultancy SITHIOS Consulting and MB Developments Pty Ltd.
He has left his non-executive director roles at U@MQ and Connect Macquarie Park + North Ryde, and his role as director of Macquarie University’s major urban planning, property investment, asset and facilities management, development and construction projects.