Alumni make their marks
Luke Sayers and Tony Palmer
Two Monash University alumni have been elevated to the top of the business world.
Luke Sayers, a business accounting and information systems graduate, has been appointed as chief executive officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia, while marketing graduate Tony Palmer has been announced as Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s President, Global Brands and Innovation.
Mr Sayers joined the Audit practice at PwC - Australia’s largest accounting firm - from Monash University in 1991 as part of the firm’s summer vacation program. After completing his degrees at Monash, he commenced working full-time at PwC in 1993 in the Audit and IT Audit department.
Mr Sayers was admitted as a partner of the global giant in 2000 while in the US, before returning to Australia in 2001. He has served on the firm’s leadership team for the past eight years and since 2010 has served as deputy chief executive overseeing revenue, profitability, staff and client targets.
Mr Sayers will take up his role as CEO from 1 July 2012.
Mr Palmer joined Kimberly-Clark – manufacturer of personal health-care products such as Kleenex - in 2006 as its first chief marketing officer.
In this new expanded role, Mr Palmer will lead the global development of the company’s three consumer categories: product and marketing innovation, research, and working with the corporation’s regional leaders to build the brand’s global reach and market share.
After graduating from Monash, Mr Palmer worked as a consultant and business development manager. He then joined CSR Refined Sugars as a marketing manager before moving onto Mars Confectionary Australia and then to Coca-Cola where Mr Palmer rose through the ranks to become regional director for Australia. He then served as managing director for the UK arm of Kelloggs before leading its natural, frozen and warehouse club businesses.
In addition to his role at Kimberly-Clark, Mr Palmer serves on the Board of Directors for The Hershey Company, the Australian American Association and The Ad Council.