Protiviti Australia welcomes two returning senior appointments to strengthen its mission of delivering trusted assurance and advisory services to the public sector

Canberra, Australia, Wednesday 5 February 2025  – Protiviti, a global consulting leader, is delighted to welcome back two proven public sector consulting professionals to its Canberra team. This reinforces our commitment to partnering with the Australian public service to provide greater value and confidence to Australians in the delivery of government programs and services. These returning team members will work closely with our talented team to help scale our public sector practice and enhance the delivery of impactful solutions that align with Protiviti’s core values of integrity, inclusion, innovation and commitment to success. 

The appointments reflect Protiviti Australia’s ongoing commitment to invest in our public sector capability, allowing us to better serve our government clients and enhance outcomes for the Australian community. 

Gihan Mallawaarachchi returns to Protiviti Australia as a Managing Director with 18 years of experience working closely with the public sector to strengthen program and service delivery. His career spans delivering business advisory, program and project management, probity, and assurance services for Australian Government entities. With his extensive portfolio leading politically sensitive, high-profile engagements in the health and social services sectors, Gihan is respected for his ability to solve complex challenges in governance, strategy, and assurance, as well as his commitment to providing honest, pragmatic and influential advice in the public interest. 

Gihan shares: "I’m excited to rejoin Protiviti and work with our talented professionals, who share my commitment to the public sector and in delivering a positive, meaningful impact on the Australian community.  Returning to Protiviti feels like coming home and I am grateful to work with people I trust and respect to further elevate Protiviti’s longstanding reputation in the Canberra market. Protiviti Australia is unique in its ability to combine its global reach and capability with the personalised service and deep commitment of a local firm. Put simply, we are big enough to deliver and small enough to care."

Joining Gihan is Tony Sanfrancesco, a seasoned Director with over a decade of experience providing risk management, project assurance, and internal audit services. Tony has successfully led teams delivering tailored solutions for a diverse range of government and private sector clients, further strengthening Protiviti’s local capabilities.

"Coming back to Protiviti is an incredible opportunity to continue making a difference in the public and private sectors. I’m looking forward to partnering with clients to deliver assurance and project solutions that not only meet their needs but also help to maximise the value of government expenditure for the Australian community. It’s exciting to rejoin a firm that values personalised service, long-term relationships and has the ability to bring private sector insights and experience to the public sector," said Tony. 

Protiviti Australia remains steadfast in its vision of uplifting the public service and helping organisations thrive through expert assurance, audit, and project delivery services. 

Protiviti Canberra Market lead Shane Silva shares that, we are thrilled to welcome Gihan and Tony back to Protiviti. Their extensive experience and deep understanding of the public sector will help us strengthen our ability to support the Australian Government in delivering impactful programs and services to the community. Our unique combination of global expertise and local presence allows us to partner with government departments to deliver tailored, trusted solutions that make a lasting impact to our community.”

Protiviti Australia Market Lead Lauren Brown shares that “we’re delighted to continue growing our national and public service practice to provide niche and specialist skills to support large government departments. We warmly welcome Gihan and Tony back into the business, alongside a number of middle management positions to support our commitment to building partnerships based on trust, integrity and collaboration.”

About Protiviti:

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach, and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, digital, legal, HR, risk and internal audit through our network of more than 90 offices in over 25 countries. In Australia, we have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth.  

Named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the 10th consecutive year, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100, nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies, 75% of the top 20 ASX listed companies, and many of Australia’s largest federal and state government departments. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half Inc. (NYSE: RHI).