Karen is Chair of PwC New Zealand. She leads the firm’s Board and is responsible for the overall reputation and governance of PwC New Zealand. Karen has been with PwC for over 30 years and became a partner in 2003. She has worked in Pōneke (Wellington) and Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), in addition to several years with PwC in London.
Karen is a licensed auditor focused on audits of large and complex organisations. She was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and the firm’s Chief Risk and Reputation Officer for 5 years, standing down in 2024 to assume the Chair role.
For over 10 years Karen contributed to the development of New Zealand’s auditing, assurance and ethical standards as a member of the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. She is a Global Women member and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Karen has strong project management skills with a “hands on” approach. She is often described as “open, pragmatic and frank”. She is respected by clients for her technical skills, is known for working in partnership with them, bringing a commercial focus and sharing insights to help clients improve governance, systems, processes and controls.
Karen has a passion for helping others and has been a pioneer championing change throughout her career including being the first female assurance partner at PwC New Zealand, publishing the first Audit Quality Transparency Report in New Zealand and establishing the first independent Audit Advisory Board for an audit firm in New Zealand.