Luke Sayers

Sayers grew up in country Victoria, the middle son in a family of three children.{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Agnes |title=How PwC boss Luke Sayers embraces disruption |url=https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/management/pwc-boss-luke-sayers-thrives-in-adversity-20160517-gowtd5 |website=Australian Financial Review |publisher=9 Entertainment |access-date=17 May 2023 |ref=BOSS Magazine |language=en |date=8 September 2016}}

Luke was enrolled in Coomoora Secondary School, a state school in Melbourne's south-east. After graduating, he then attended Monash University studying business accounting and information systems.{{cite web |title=Alumni make their marks in business |url=https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/alumni-make-their-marks-in-business |website=Monash University |access-date=17 May 2023 |language=en |date=21 March 2012}}

Sayers joined PwC's (then called Price Waterhouse) technology audit team as a summer vacation intern in 1991. Sayers worked in many divisions of the organisation, including in Washington D.C. for a number of years. Sayers then was chosen to serve as CEO of PwC Australia for eight years.{{cite web|url=https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/contacts/l/luke-sayers-am.html|title=Luke Sayers AM|access-date=15 December 2021}}

Sayers later became the executive chairman of Sayers Group, which is a Melbourne-based investment and advisory company.{{Cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1003156/sayers-becomes-the-31st-president-of-the-carlton-football-club|title=Sayers becomes the 31st President of the Carlton Football Club|date=August 17, 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}}

In 2018 Sayers, while serving as CEO of PwC Australia, was connected to conflict of interest issues and an investigation related to a personal investment in Australian Visa Processing (AVP).{{Cite news |last=Kitney |first=Damon |date=29 July 2022 |title=Sayers' right hand man opens up |work=The Australian |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/leadership/sayers-group-chief-executive-sammy-kumar-on-mixing-business-and-personal-with-luke-sayers/news-story/26c209a9e2766626c2e984707a48e0bb}}{{Cite web |date=2018-07-16 |title=PwC Australia to review partner investments after global intervention |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/pwc-australia-to-review-partner-investments-after-global-intervention-20180716-h12q91 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} AVP was a company part-owned by PwC that was submitting a tender to redesign and run Australia's visa processing system, potentially worth billions of dollars, which would result in a significant financial advantage for its investors including Sayers.{{Cite web |title=Home Affairs $1bn visa platform outsourcing riddled with IT risks |url=https://www.itnews.com.au/news/home-affairs-1bn-visa-platform-outsourcing-riddled-with-it-risks-531488 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=iTnews}} Other investors included managing partner of firm strategy and ASEANZ Consulting Sammy Kumar, a close friend of Sayers, and government and public sector leader, Tony Peake.{{Cite web |last1=Sainsbury |first1=Michael |last2=West |first2=Michael |last3=West |first3=Michael Sainsbury and Michael |date=2019-08-13 |title=Mate Versus Mate: Inside ScoMo's billion-dollar visa privatisation |url=https://michaelwest.com.au/mate-versus-mate-inside-scomos-billion-dollar-visa-privatisation/ |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Michael West |language=en-US}}

This investment led to a "storm inside the firm",{{Cite web |date=2018-09-19 |title=Tension lingers at PwC over visa investments |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/tension-lingers-at-pwc-over-visa-investments-20180919-h15kqu |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} with interjection by PwC Global and a review by PwC Australia of its personal investment policy for partners.{{Cite web |date=2018-09-19 |title=Tension lingers at PwC over visa investments |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/tension-lingers-at-pwc-over-visa-investments-20180919-h15kqu |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} The option to invest had not been offered to all partners or even the entire firm and was kept to a limited group of individuals.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-16 |title=PwC Australia to review partner investments after global intervention |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/pwc-australia-to-review-partner-investments-after-global-intervention-20180716-h12q91 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} A review was announced around the way partners make personal investments.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-16 |title=PwC Australia to review partner investments after global intervention |url=https://www.afr.com/street-talk/pwc-australia-to-review-partner-investments-after-global-intervention-20180716-h12q91 |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2018-07-17 |title=Accountants can invest in consulting clients, raising conflict fears |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/accountants-can-invest-in-consulting-clients-raising-conflict-fears-20180717-h12soh |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}} This was seen as a factor in ending Kumar’s ambitions to follow Sayers as PwC’s Australia CEO.

In 2022 the Inclusion Foundation, an organisation which Sayers was Chairman of,{{Cite web |date=2023-01-11 |title=From foundation to evolution: Sayers looking ahead |url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1261050/from-foundation-to-evolution-sayers-looking-ahead |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=carltonfc.com.au |language=en}} was linked to a political endorsement{{Cite news |last1=Khawaldeh |first1=Khaled Al |last2=Butler |first2=Josh |date=2022-04-20 |title=Josh Frydenberg says he has pulled election ads after Guide Dogs Victoria complaint |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/20/josh-frydenberg-pulls-election-ads-after-guide-dogs-victoria-complaint |access-date=2023-06-27 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last1=Silva |first1=Kristian |last2=Bogle |first2=Ariel |date=2022-04-20 |title=Guide Dogs Victoria launches investigation after CEO publicly endorses Josh Frydenberg |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-20/guide-dogs-victoria-karen-hayes-political-endorsement/101001154 |access-date=2023-06-27}}{{Cite web |last1=Brook |first1=Stephen |last2=Hutchinson |first2=Samantha |date=2022-04-21 |title=Election flyers pose more questions than answers |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/election-flyers-pose-more-questions-than-answers-20220421-p5af7x.html |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=The Age |language=en}} for Sayers’ close personal friend Josh Frydenberg.{{Cite web |last=Dexter |first=Rachael |date=2022-04-21 |title=Frydenberg to remove Scouts from campaign material |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/frydenberg-to-remove-scouts-from-campaign-material-20220421-p5af2a.html |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Danckert |first=Sarah |date=2023-06-02 |title=Twin troubles: PwC and Carlton give business heavyweight the blues |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/entrepreneurship/twin-troubles-pwc-and-carlton-give-business-heavyweight-the-blues-20230601-p5dd2m.html |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Harcourt |first=Tansy |date=2 June 2023 |title=Former PwC boss Luke Sayers promises to co-operate with investigations |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/former-pwc-boss-luke-sayers-promises-to-cooperate-with-investigations/news-story/4e98f5ce7083b3bef307b9bd74317d89}}{{Cite news |last=Johnston |first=Matt |date=10 March 2023 |title=How passion and drive made Carlton president Luke Sayers a leader |work=The Herald Sun |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/how-passion-and-drive-made-carlton-president-luke-sayers-a-leader/news-story/c848ee222d106cbd924bf9dca44c1e4d}} An advertisement for Frydenberg featured a quote from Sayers' wife Cate under the heading 'why I am voting for Josh Frydenberg', which described her as “founder, Inclusion Foundation”.{{Cite web |date=2022-04-30 |title=Frydenberg spruiker handed record grants |website= The Klaxon |url=https://theklaxon.com.au/record-grants-for-sayers/ |access-date=2023-06-27 |language=en-AU}} Frydenberg withdrew the ads, because the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission does not allow charities to promote political candidates.{{Cite web |last=Massola |first=Sumeyya |author2= Ilanbey, James |date=2022-04-20 |title=Guide dogs charity to investigate CEO's public pitch for Josh Frydenberg |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/guide-dogs-charity-to-investigate-ceo-s-public-pitch-for-josh-frydenberg-20220420-p5aep7.html |access-date=2023-06-27 |website=The Age |language=en}}

Sayers has been repeatedly linked to the PwC tax scandal, having served as CEO during the period of time that the unauthorised disclosures by Peter Collins took place.{{Cite news |date=2023-10-15 |title=The former boss of PwC united all sides of politics in an hour by embodying Alan Bond's infamous phrase |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-16/luke-sayers-pwc-tax-leak-scandal-senate-inquiry-consultants/102974662 |access-date=2024-02-10 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-12 |title=PwC chiefs play pass the parcel |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/pwc-chiefs-play-pass-the-parcel-20231012-p5ebtg |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Blues urged to stand down Sayers over PwC crisis |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=HSWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldsun.com.au%2Fsport%2Fafl%2Fformer-accc-chairman-allan-fels-tells-carlton-to-stand-down-luke-sayers%2Fnews-story%2F6b16e32aa0b463f23bb15108f52a3b2d&memtype=registered&mode=premium&v21=HIGH-Segment-2-SCORE}}

Sayers joined the board of directors at the Carlton Football Club in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/3363/carlton-joins-collingwood-and-essendon-with-consultant-chairs|title=Carlton joins Collingwood and Essendon with consultant chairs|date=4 May 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}} On 28 April 2021 it was announced that the board of the club unanimously elected Sayers as president-elect, at a board meeting to take over the role at the end of the 2021 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/logiudice-to-step-down-as-blues-president-at-season-s-end-20210428-p57n0r.html|title=Timing of Blues presidency announcement questioned|date=28 April 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}} In June 2021 Sayers in his role as president-elect, during the transition period, also initiated a panel that consisted of Carlton Football Club CEO Cain Liddle with external panel members Matthew Pavlich, Geoff Walsh and Graham Lowe to lead an independent external review into the club’s football department operations in the wake of poor on-field results in the 2021 season due to disappointment of expectations.{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/carlton-to-launch-external-review-of-football-department-20210607-p57yul.html|title=Carlton to launch external review of football department|date=7 June 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}}

Sayers officially became the President of Carlton Football Club on 17 August 2021, just one round before the end of the 2021 season, after previous club president Mark LoGiudice stepped down from the role early.{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/carlton-president-elect-mark-loguidice-to-hand-over-to-luke-sayers-on-monday/news-story/6665fdacd726c2afa5db5c5ac04a6045|title=Blues review: New Carlton president Luke Sayers to release summary of findings to members|date=18 August 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}} The completion of the independent external club review, led by Sayers also led to a clean-out at the club with substantial changes to the club's administration and football department.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/670639/carlton-football-club-statement-president-luke-sayers-letter-to-members|title=Carlton Football Club statement: President's letter to members|date=25 August 2021|access-date=15 December 2021}}

On 10 September 2021 Sayers also stated:

“We are entering a reset phase for our football club, and while we have built a strong platform in a business sense, the ability to ensure our on-field position matches, our off-field one is an area that must be addressed,”.{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/carltons-tumultuous-off-season-continues-with-cain-liddle-sacked/news-story/37a7be9c1d0448a455e794c5f8381684|title=Carlton's tumultuous off season continues with Cain Liddle sacked|date=11 September 2021|access-date=13 January 2022}}

Sayers appointed outgoing Geelong Football Club CEO Brian Cook as the CEO of the Carlton Football Club as one of the substantial personnel changes to the club's administration to replace Cain Liddle, after Liddle was sacked from his position as CEO of Carlton as one of the outcomes of the completion of the independent external review that the club had undertaken, where it was determined by the club, that the gaps between on and off-field performance were too large for Liddle to maintain his position as CEO.{{cite web|url=https://www.blueabroad.com.au/the-latest/the-new-carlton|title=The New Carlton|date=8 December 2021|access-date=13 January 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/carlton-part-with-chief-executive-cain-liddle-20210910-p58qjb.html|title='Completed all personnel changes': Carlton part with CEO Liddle|date=September 10, 2021|access-date=13 January 2022}} Sayers on the appointment of Cook said in a statement:

"Cook’s ability to deliver a sustained level of high performance across every facet of a football club made him the perfect person to take the Blues forward, This is a significant pillar of the Club’s ‘reset’ strategy, whereby our football club is striving to bring in the best available people with strong leadership, who thrive on building and driving a high-performing culture, That is exactly what Carlton needs to take our next, significant step, and nobody fits that criteria better than Brian Cook. While our club is in a strong position off the field, we intend to take this to another level, by being proactive and innovative and Brian, as CEO, will play a pivotal role in leading that approach".{{cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1017881/cook-takes-reins-at-carlton|title=Cook takes reins at Carlton|date=17 September 2021|access-date=24 January 2022}}

The club review led by Sayers also led to the sacking of David Teague as Carlton Football Club senior coach, when Sayers said in a statement “After careful consideration was taken and the necessary time to absorb the findings of the review... it was made clear that the decision needed to be made to part ways with David Teague”,{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/sport/carlton-blues/carlton-president-luke-sayers-says-blues-expect-to-make-finals-in-2022-after-sacking-david-teague--c-3785474|title=Carlton President Luke Sayers says Blues expect 'to make finals in 2022' after sacking David Teague|date=25 August 2021|access-date=24 January 2022}} after Sayers further stated "it was identified in the review, that there had been confusion associated with the game plan at times and on-field, the team has underdelivered in its ability to consistently defend, win the contest and apply pressure".{{cite web|url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/news/david-teague-sacked-by-carlton-blues-axe-coach-after-brutal-football-review-findings/news-story/124f4c1113c107e755cdcf601d42816f|title=David Teague sacked by Carlton: Carlton president Luke Sayers had secret talks with coaching candidate Ross Lyon|date=27 August 2021|access-date=24 January 2022}} Also, the club review led by Sayers found that Teague's coaching methods and gameplan were supported by only 30 percent of the club's players and the club's staff. The club review led by Sayers then led to the appointment of Michael Voss as the Carlton Football Club senior coach, as one of the other substantial personnel changes to the club's football department, when Sayers said in a statement "After a thorough and considered selection process, Voss's credentials and vast experience in football made him the right person for the job,".{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-23/carlton-confirms-afl-great-michael-voss-as-coach/100485468|title=Carlton confirms AFL great Michael Voss as coach|website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date= 22 September 2021|access-date=21 January 2022}}

On 8 January 2025, an image of a lewd nature was briefly posted on his Twitter account before being deleted shortly thereafter. Sayers denied any involvement and claimed his account had been hacked, and his claim was verified following an investigation by the AFL Integrity Unit which cleared him of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, he elected to step down as president after the investigation was complete, departing the club on 22 January.{{cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1709128/club-statement-luke-sayers|title=Club statement: Luke Sayers|date=22 January 2025|accessdate=23 January 2025|publisher=Carlton Football Club}} {{Cite news |date=2025-01-17 |title=Carlton president Luke Sayers says he's engaging with AFL integrity unit |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-17/luke-sayers-carlton-football-club-president/104832010 |access-date=2025-01-20 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-08 |title='Hacked': Carlton boss' denial amid lewd photo scandal |url=https://www.nine.com.au/sport/afl/news-2025-carlton-president-luke-sayers-lewd-photo-twitter-x-scandal-20250109-p5l329.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Nine |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-17 |title=Blues, AFL probe president after lewd social media post |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1264427/carlton-blues-league-probe-president-luke-sayers-after-lewd-social-media-post |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=afl.com.au |language=en}}

In 2019 Sayers was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to business, to people with a disability, and to the community.

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Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Australian chief executives

Category:Members of the Order of Australia