KPMG Australia appoints John Sams as new CEO

Updated July 21, 2026 — 11:41,

KPMG Australia’s board has appointed John Sams as chief executive with immediate effect as the embattled firm prepares to lay off hundreds of staff to counter the loss of jobs resulting from the whistleblowing scandal.

Sams comes from KPMG’s tax, corporate finance and infrastructure advisory division and was not implicated in the scandal in which some of the company’s most senior executives allegedly accessed confidential client information to win new clients.

KPMG’s new CEO is John Sams.

“The board believes that John has the strong qualities required to be the successful leader of the firm, including agility, courage and integrity,” said independent chairman Michael Ebeid.

“John has a clear mandate from the board: to strengthen leadership and culture, increase trust in our people, clients, regulators, government and Parliament, and focus KPMG on areas where it can make the greatest contribution to our clients, employees and stakeholders.”

A KPMG spokesman said: Australian Financial Review Last week the firm was considering “a range of options to ensure the firm remains well positioned for the challenges ahead”, including “reviewing our operating model, cost base and workforce needs”.

The layoffs were not expected to be finalized until a new CEO was appointed.

“I do not underestimate the task ahead of us, but I pledge to our customers and employees that I am ready to be bold, make the tough decisions, and lead the changes we need to get us on the right track,” Sams said.

“The firm has fallen short of the standards rightly expected of us, and responsibility for these failures will continue to be enforced. We have serious work to do on our culture, leadership and management, and this will require determination and resilience.”

KPMG has come under intense scrutiny after admitting that some of its employees accessed corporate clients’ confidential information to win business; This is a serious breach of trust in the world of auditing, which is vital to the integrity of financial markets.

KPMG’s former chief executive Andrew Yates and chairman Martin Sheppard resigned, along with several senior audit partners, following the scandal. Lendlease, one of its top audit clients, is preparing to dump KPMG, its long-time auditor, as its dealings with federal and state governments are under scrutiny.