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The appointment will provide a “rare skill set and deep experience” to help clients, says chief executive.
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PwC selects former Treasury exec as chief economist
06 October 2022
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PwC has appointed experienced economist and former federal Treasury executive Amy Auster as its chief economist and insights officer.
The move will see Ms Auster work with clients and colleagues with a focus on overcoming problems that obstruct sustainable economic growth for businesses and communities, according to PwC.
Ms Auster said she was honoured to be taking on the job, working with PwC clients and addressing the challenges Australians are facing.
“I feel a tremendous sense of privilege to be stepping into this role at such a critical juncture in Australia,” she said.
“The economic imperative of equity, fairness, social justice — this is part of the Australian story, and we are now seeing the importance of this ethos playing out all over the world. There’s so much others can learn from us.
“I’m looking forward to working with our wide breadth of valued clients, partners and the wider community to step into addressing our most important challenges and deliver sustained outcomes.
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“We have a housing challenge, an energy transition challenge, a mental health challenge, a challenge with resilience to extreme weather events. We need new thinking, courage and a unifying sense of purpose to retain everything that’s great about Australia.”
Born in Chicago, Ms Auster studied journalism at Northwestern University and worked as a reporter at the Prague Post and The Economist before moving away from media and into finance.
She has a master’s degree in economics and finance from Columbia University and served as CEO of the Commonwealth’s Infrastructure and Project Financing agency as well as a Department of Treasury and Finance deputy secretary in Victoria.
Ms Auster also spent time as the executive director of the Australian Centre for Financial Studies and as a senior executive and economist at the ANZ banking group.
PwC CEO Tom Seymour said the firm was excited to bring someone with Ms Auster’s expertise into the fold.
“Amy’s rare skill set and deep experience will pave the way for us to continue to provide unique insights that help to illuminate and solve some of the important problems facing our clients, the economy and our wider society,” he said.
Ms Auster is also a mother to three children and is an adjunct senior research fellow at Monash University along with an advisory board member for RMIT’s APEC Study Centre.
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