She would be the first woman to head PwC’s German company.
(Photo: PwC / Frank Rumpenhorst)
Dusseldorf When PwC chose the new German leadership, a big surprise emerged. According to information from corporate circles, the challenger Petra Justenhoven will probably just prevail against the previous incumbent Ulrich Störk. The 54-year-old was probably able to win 51 percent of the votes of the more than 600 partners, according to circles close to the management.
PwC did not want to confirm or deny the information on Monday evening. The election process for the new top German leaders ended on Monday, and the result is to be announced on Tuesday morning at the company’s annual press conference. That Störk, 52, still wins the race for himself in the last few meters, is considered unlikely in the circles.
The appointment of Justenhagen as the new spokesperson for the management would be remarkable in several ways: She would be the first woman to head PwC’s German company. So far, she has headed the assurance area within the management, i.e. the classic business of auditing companies.
It is also unusual for PwC’s partners to favor a change in German leadership after just four years. Störk was elected in 2018 and was currently up for re-election. The head of PwC usually remains in office for two four-year terms, as was the case with his predecessor Norbert Winkeljohann.
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But at least in the opinion of his critics, Störk was unable to build on the leadership and charisma of Winkeljohann in-house. In September, his management colleague Justenoven announced that she wanted to challenge him in the upcoming elections.
Now the auditor and tax advisor is about to win the internal power struggle. The term of office of the new German leadership begins on July 1st next year.
PwC is currently shaken by serious allegations from the tax authorities. The company is said to have billed consulting services via Switzerland, although they were provided in Germany. Eight current and former employees are charged with tax evasion. In the past week, a large number of public prosecutors, police officers and tax officials came to raids on several German PwC locations.
More: Public prosecutor searches PwC: suspected serious tax evasion