KPMG Australia appoints John Sams as CEO amid audit leak scandal
Former CFO and COO John Sams takes charge immediately as KPMG Australia faces regulatory investigations, client fallout and pressure to deliver governance and cultural reform
KPMG Australia has appointed long-serving partner John Sams as chief executive, filling the permanent leadership vacancy created by Andrew Yates’s resignation during the firm’s audit-leak scandal.
Sams takes up the position immediately. He had served as KPMG Australia’s chief financial officer since October 2025 and added the chief operating officer role in June 2026. He has spent more than two decades with KPMG, beginning his career in the firm’s UK tax practice before moving to Australia and working across tax, corporate finance and infrastructure advisory.
KPMG said the appointment followed a selection process that considered candidates from the Australian partnership, the wider international network and outside the firm. The assessment panel included independent chairman Michael Ebeid, Jennifer Westacott and Kerry Schott.
Sams succeeds interim CEO Stan Stavros, who took charge after Yates resigned on 29 May. His appointment comes as KPMG seeks to recover from revelations that confidential client material was improperly accessed or circulated during attempts to win audit work. The controversy has led to senior departures, government and regulatory scrutiny, and criticism of the firm’s earlier handling of the whistleblower’s allegations.
KPMG has given Sams responsibility for implementing its reform programme, which focuses on governance, culture and ethics, and internal controls. Sams acknowledged that the firm had failed to meet expected standards and said his immediate priorities would include restoring confidence among employees and clients and demonstrating measurable progress on culture, integrity and transparency.
Related coverage
KPMG Australia appoints John Sams as CEO — KPMG Australia, 21 July 2026
KPMG’s official announcement outlines Sams’s career at the firm, the selection process and the responsibilities he will assume as chief executive. It also sets out his commitment to strengthening governance, culture, integrity and internal controls.
KPMG Australia taps insider as CEO in wake of audit leak scandal — Reuters, 21 July 2026
Reuters places the appointment within the continuing fallout from the audit-leak scandal. The report links Sams’s promotion to Andrew Yates’s resignation and the regulatory and reputational pressures facing the firm.
KPMG announces new CEO following audit scandal fallout — Australian Financial Review, 21 July 2026
The article reports on Sams’s elevation from within KPMG’s existing leadership and examines the circumstances surrounding the vacancy. It also considers the challenge he faces in rebuilding confidence after the scandal.
Labor’s Deb O’Neill questions KPMG’s new CEO John Sams appointment — The Australian, 21 July 2026
This report focuses on Senator Deborah O’Neill’s criticism of KPMG’s decision to appoint a longstanding insider. It raises questions about whether the firm’s leadership and governance structures have changed sufficiently.
KPMG appoints John Sams as new CEO — Capital Brief, 21 July 2026
Capital Brief summarises the appointment and notes that Sams had been regarded as a leading internal candidate. It highlights his pledge to make difficult decisions on leadership, governance and culture.
This is part of Big4News’ continuing coverage of the KPMG Australia Audit Leak Scandal.
KPMG Australia Audit Leak Scandal
The KPMG Australia scandal that erupted publicly in March 2026 represents one of the most significant integrity crises to hit the Big Four in Australia since the PwC tax leaks affair. At its core are allegations—first raised internally by a whistleblower in 2024 and later amplified through parliamentary privilege—that senior partners misused highly conf…
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