Peter Williams

Peter Williams is one of Australia’s most respected digital leaders and the CEO of Deloitte Digital. A recognised thought leader and practitioner in innovation, Peter has a particular focus on digital strategy, emerging technologies and social media, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential CEOs on Twitter in Australia.

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Peter began working with internet technologies in 1993 while based in the United Kingdom. On his return to Australia in 1996, he founded Deloitte Australia’s eBusiness Consulting group, placing him at the forefront of the country’s early digital transformation efforts. From 2003 to 2008, Peter served as CEO of the Eclipse Group, a Deloitte subsidiary that grew to become one of Australia’s largest web and mobile development firms. He later founded Deloitte Digital, pioneering the delivery of professional services in a digitally enabled, client-centric model.

Since 2004, Peter has chaired Deloitte’s Innovation Council and has been directly involved in numerous innovation initiatives throughout his career. He has worked closely with boards and senior executives across a wide range of industries, helping organisations understand, respond to and capitalise on the rapidly evolving digital environment. His client experience includes organisations such as BHP, Telstra, NAB, ANZ, the AFL, Carlton Football Club, Google, Microsoft, Yammer, and both Federal and Victorian Government departments.

Entertaining, insightful and refreshingly direct, Peter is a sought-after keynote speaker and media commentator in Australia and internationally. He has presented in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Dubai, the Netherlands, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia, translating complex digital trends into clear, actionable insights for executive audiences.

Peter has been featured in influential business books including Empowered by Josh Bernoff and As One by Mehrdad Baghai and James Quigley. His own commentary and articles have appeared in leading publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and BRW.

As Chief Edge Officer, Peter also leads the Australian chapter of the Centre for the Edge, a Silicon Valley-based applied research centre chaired by John Hagel III and John Seely Brown. The Centre focuses on identifying major long-term shifts that are not yet on senior management agendas, while translating those insights into practical implications for near-term executive decision-making.

Deeply committed to community engagement, Peter has supported initiatives including Victorian bushfire relief, Queensland flood recovery and the Christchurch earthquake response, and remains actively involved in student mentoring. In 2011, he received a Forrester Groundswell Award—the first awarded outside the United States—for best use of social media for social change, recognising his role in helping the Flowerdale community recover after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

Peter is an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University and a board member of Circus Oz.