Mark Austen
Mark Austen qualified as a management accountant while on a training scheme with Reed International , the paper and publishing group . He subsequently joined a small merchant bank in the City as Deputy Controller.
In 1975 he joined the consulting division of Price Waterhouse and then began a distinguished career in advising banks, financial markets, insurance companies, governments and many other participants in finance worldwide . He became a partner of the firm in 1982 , managed the financial industry practice initially in the UK , then Europe and globally from 1995 until 2003 .
He served on various boards of the firm especially after the merger to form PwC in 1998 and was elected to the Global Board , the most senior governance group, in 2000 . He was much involved in the global strategy of the firm including , following the Enron crisis , the sale of the consulting business to IBM in 2003 .
He served as a senior partner at IBM .After 2005 has been a non executive on the boards of various organisations. Amongst others he is currently a director of Standard Bank PLC , the international arm of the largest South African bank and Chairman of LV= , the large UK Insurance company