Lifelong KPMG veteran’s appointment as CEO draws pointed response
Updated July 21, 2026 — 3:52pm,first published 10:34am
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KPMG has picked a decades-long veteran to run the embattled consultancy as it prepares to cut hundreds of jobs to counteract the loss of business from the whistleblower scandal and tough market conditions.
The consultancy’s chief financial officer, John Sams, began as chief executive officer on Tuesday after rising through KPMG’s ranks in Australia and overseas since 2003.
“I do not underestimate the task ahead but commit to our clients and people that I am prepared to be courageous, take the tough decisions and lead the changes we need to set us on the right path,” says new KPMG CEO John Sams.
KPMG’s decision to appoint a chief executive who has spent his entire career with the firm drew a pointed response from the senator who exposed the whistleblower scandal, with Labor’s Deborah O’Neill noting his tenure in senior roles at the firm.
“Mr Sams’ appointment is the elevation of yet another member of the firm’s leadership which oversaw the series of botched investigations and non-action,” O’Neill said.
There is no suggestion Sams was personally involved in any misconduct, but he has served as chief financial officer of KPMG since October last year. During that period, numerous senior executives at the firm resigned amid its stumbling response to revelations that some of KPMG’s most senior staff allegedly accessed confidential client information to win new customers.
KPMG chairman Michael Ebeid said Sams would lead the firm’s efforts to fix its integrity issues.
“John has a clear mandate from the board: to strengthen leadership and culture, improve confidence with our people, clients, regulators, government and the parliament, and focus KPMG on the areas where it can make the greatest contribution to our clients, people and stakeholders,” Ebeid said.
Sams reiterated the firm’s mistakes in a statement. “The firm fell short of the standards rightly expected of us, and the accountability for these failures will continue to be implemented,” he said. “We have serious work to do on our culture, our leadership and our governance and it will take resolve and endurance.”
Among the first tasks on his list are likely to be job cuts. The firm has not denied reports of redundancies, but the process will not begin in earnest until after Sams is established in his new role.
Earlier this month, a KPMG spokesman said it continues to evaluate a range of options to ensure the firm remains well positioned for the challenges ahead.
“We are reviewing our operating model, cost base and workforce needs,” the spokesman said. “No decisions have been made regarding any specific measures or any potential impact on roles. We recognise that discussions of this nature can create uncertainty, and as decisions are made, we will communicate with our people first and in a respectful way.”
All four of the major consulting giants have been cutting staff in response to a weaker economic environment and falling revenue from federal government business, which has been the single biggest customer for these firms and especially KPMG.
Sams joined the UK arm of KPMG in 2003 as a graduate and moved to Australia in 2006. He recently led its commercial advisory and transactions business as lead partner.
KPMG said the appointment was overseen by a panel comprising independent directors Ebeid, former big business lobby boss Jennifer Westacott and prolific corporate adviser Kerry Schott. External candidates were also considered for the role.
KPMG is under intense scrutiny after admitting that some of its staff accessed confidential information from corporate clients to win business – a serious breach of trust in the world of auditing that is essential to the integrity of financial markets.
KPMG’s investigations have confirmed some of the whistleblower’s allegations, which included the sharing of sensitive Lendlease and Optus data among staff bidding for audit work with Westpac, Dexus and Telstra.
KPMG’s former CEO Andrew Yates and chairman Martin Sheppard resigned in the wake of the scandal, along with many senior audit partners. One of its most significant audit clients Lendlease is preparing to dump KPMG as its long-time auditor and its business with federal and state governments is under review.
The allegations were first raised to the firm in 2024 but did not become public until O’Neill aired them in March this year.
“I note reports of concerns within KPMG about the role Mr Ebeid has played in advancing the path of Mr Sams to CEO,” O’Neill said. “Given there has been no formal agreement by partners to allow Mr Ebeid, who is not a partner of KPMG, to assume the role of Chair of the Board.”
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Colin Kruger is a senior business reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.