CEO of Queensland Reconstruction Authority to join Deloitte

Australia, 30 July 2014, Graeme Newton, Chief Executive Officer of the world renowned Queensland Reconstruction Authority, will join global professional services firm Deloitte Australia (Deloitte) in October to lead its Australian Crisis Management business and set up a Centre for Excellence for Crisis Management for the S.E. Asia region.

Deloitte CEO Giam Swiegers said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of someone of the caliber of Graeme Newton to join our Risk Services business and grow our Crisis Management offering. Graeme is recognized at a state, national and global level for his outstanding ability to deliver on highly challenging crisis response and reconstruction projects. He received the national Award for Planning Excellence in Australia last year and is a member of the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery technical advisory group.”

Queensland-based, Deloitte Forensic Risk Services leader Chris Noble said: “The National Strategy for Disaster Resilience (NSDR) recognized that the task of building more resilient communities is complex and requires greater collaboration between government, business, and community. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Graeme Newton provided that for Queensland and Graeme is very well placed to assist corporates and government become even more resilient.

“The economic cost of natural disasters in Australia is estimated by Deloitte Access Economics to exceed $6 billion a year. These costs are expected to double by 2030 and to rise to an average of $23 billion a year by 2050,” Noble said. 

“However natural disasters are just one crisis scenario for organizations as cyber attacks, misdeeds, financial crimes, financial distress, technological or industrial threats, supply chain failure, reputation damaging frauds, disclosure issues, and other events trigger complex and damaging crises. Responding quickly and effectively to minimize short and long term damage to companies is becoming a core capability.

The Queensland Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience, David Crisafulli MP said: “Mr. Newton has led an organization with a culture of delivery and efficiency. To see the evolution of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority from its humble beginnings to an international leader in its field is something every taxpayer should be proud of.

“Mr. Newton has been an outstanding leader, and we wish him all the best in his profession.”

When hand-picked to lead the $14 billion Queensland floods disaster recovery, Newton achieved global recognition, and is committed to working with governments, CEOs, and Boards to build end-to-end resilience on a global scale to prepare for, respond to, and emerge from crises effectively.

Graeme Newton said: “I am looking forward to taking on this new role of ‘integrator’ between Australia, S.E. Asia, and the huge reach Deloitte has in this field globally. In this role I see the opportunity to make a significant difference when it comes to crisis, and disaster management and preparedness in particular.”

Harvey Christophers, Deloitte Managing Partner of the Risk Services business, said Newton’s appointment was part of the strategy to help organizations ‘know the worth of risk’ and invest in depth in areas of risk intelligence that were vital to organizations in this country. 

Christophers said: “A crisis for an organization is any high-consequence event that has the potential to threaten an organization’s existence, value, reputation, or ability to operate. Bringing the depth of expertise that Graeme has in responding to crises is a great example of the investments that we are prepared to make to bring authentic capability to help our clients.”

Newton will work with existing Deloitte alliances with global and Australian organizations and universities to bring a commercial approach to getting the imperatives right for Deloitte’s clients.

Newton will also serve on the Deloitte Global Centre for Crisis Management which is focused on assisting both the public and private sectors prepare, respond and recover from crises.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited global crisis leader Jeremy Smith said: “Our Australian member firm’s appointment of Graeme Newton adds a distinguished luminary to our strong global team. His tremendous experience, deep knowledge, and trusted relationships will enhance Deloitte’s effectiveness as Deloitte helps clients prepare for, respond to, and emerge stronger from major crisis events.” 

On the world scale in 2013, there were more than 300 natural disasters globally (including hurricanes, nuclear disasters, earthquakes, and tsunamis) and on a private sector front more than 47,000 bankruptcies in the U.S. alone. 

And each year an estimated $560 million is spent on post-disaster relief and recovery by the Australian Government compared with an estimated consistent annual expenditure of $50 million on pre-disaster resilience: a ratio of more than $10 post-disaster for every $1 spent pre-disaster.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte has in the region of 200,000 professionals, all committed to becoming the standard of excellence.