Spotlight On: Katie Mominee, Office Managing Partner, PwC Pittsburgh
July 2025 — Katie Mominee, office managing partner of PwC’s Pittsburgh Office, sat down with Invest: to discuss market uncertainty, how the organization is altering their operational structure to better serve clients, the impact AI is having on all sectors, and how PwC is addressing talent shortages.
What changes over the past year impacted PwC Pittsburgh and how do they reflect broader momentum within the firm’s U.S. operations?
Over the past year, PwC Pittsburgh has experienced many of the same forces shaping the firm nationwide — economic uncertainty, shifting client expectations and rapid advancements in technology. In response, we’ve focused on strengthening how we show up in the market to help our clients continue solving important problems.
AI also remains a major area of investment for the firm, and that’s reflected locally in how we’re embedding it into our offerings and upskilling our people. We’ve also made meaningful strides in realigning our teams to better meet the evolving needs of our clients. This positions us to bring the right talent, tools and expertise to the table — helping clients prepare for what’s next.
With the PwC’s advisory business expansion, how is the Pittsburgh office realigning its services to meet evolving client demands?
As the firm’s advisory business expands, the Pittsburgh office is following suit — guided by a focus on deeper industry specialization and emerging technologies like AI. We’ve broken down larger groups into more strategic, focused teams, allowing us to better align talent with the specific challenges our clients are facing — whether that’s in cyber, deals or risk and regulatory.
The market is changing quickly and our ability to stay ahead depends on how intentionally we structure ourselves to respond. Making sure our capabilities match what clients need today and in the future is at the center of how we’re moving forward.
How might the firm’s Assurance for AI program be utilized across key sectors like manufacturing, finance, or healthcare?
Most companies are still in the early stages of exploring and implementing AI. Some are leveraging it from an operational standpoint, while others are holding off — waiting to buy rather than build. This AI journey has had us asking ourselves: how do we give clients confidence that their AI use is compliant, secure and controlled?
That’s where Assurance for AI comes in. This offering includes risk assessments, evaluations of designs, policies, and procedures. These are tools clients can use internally and also share with their own stakeholders to help build trust.
How is your team continuing to support civic and community partners like United Way through data and analytics?
The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania plays an important role in the community, and working with them allowed us to better understand and quantify their impact. We analyzed how their spending, donations, grants, and services flowed through the local economy and how it was impacting earnings and employment.
What we found was significant. In just the southwestern Pennsylvania region alone, United Way contributed approximately $65.2 million to the gross domestic product and each job at United Way directly or indirectly contributed an average of about $600,000 to the GDP. This just shows that by contributing to United Way, you’re helping contribute to our community and local economy. And what we analyzed was just a snippet of the overall value they bring to Pittsburgh.
How are your Pittsburgh-based clients responding to pressures around economic recovery, digital transformation, and ESG compliance?
Pittsburgh, like many cities, is evolving rapidly. As a major manufacturing hub, ESG reporting has become a key focus for many companies. They’re working to determine how best to gather and report data in a way that builds trust with stakeholders and customers. However, with some of the potential deregulation around that, some are taking a wait-and-see approach before making major moves.
On the technology side — where Pittsburgh continues to grow — companies are focused on how they can implement AI and other innovations to drive value and create efficiencies, while also maintaining control.
This all ties back to why we reorganized in the way we did. Each sector is facing unique pressures depending on economic and geopolitical shifts. While nothing is certain, we’re seeing companies start to prepare themselves for what may come.
What are the biggest challenges you’re facing internally and observing among clients?
Internally, we continue to focus on attracting high-caliber talent, because at the end of the day, our business runs on talent. There’s heightened focus in the market on CPAs, and we’re working to engage with universities early to identify top talent and invest in their development through mentorship and coaching.
On the client side, there’s always a concern with the supply chain, especially right now with the uncertainty around tariffs. Companies are having to think about how to maintain revenue and volume if tariffs take effect. At the same time, everyone is keeping a close eye on AI because they don’t want to fall behind. Lastly, cyber continues to be a major challenge with companies proactively making sure that their data and assets are protected.
What are your top strategic priorities for PwC Pittsburgh over the next three to five years?
With our name in the skyline, we want to continue reinforcing our long-term commitment to Pittsburgh. One of my top priorities is growing our presence in the community by giving our teams the flexibility to volunteer throughout the year and work with local organizations.
The pandemic also had a big impact in the region, and we’re focused on bringing top talent to the city. We’re thinking beyond just work we deliver — our goal is to contribute meaningfully to the local community and continue strengthening the PwC brand in ways that reflect our values and long-term vision.
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