KPMG Australia has appointed John Sams as chief executive, replacing partner Stan Stavros, who spent nearly eight weeks as interim CEO overseeing the firm’s initial response to a damaging scandal involving the misuse of confidential client information and its treatment of a whistleblower. Sams took office immediately on 21 July, one day after KPMG disclosed that seven people had been sanctioned over the inappropriate sharing of client documents. The disciplinary measures ranged from formal warnings and restrictions on career progression to financial penalties of up to $180,000.
Two of the partners involved had retired before the sanctions were imposed. John Sams (sourced KPMG) Stan Stavros (sourced KPMG) Sams’s appointment brings Stavros’s temporary leadership of the firm to an end. Stavros was installed as interim CEO on 29 May following the resignation of Andrew Yates, who accepted responsibility for KPMG’s handling of the whistleblower and the investigations into the allegations.
Julian McPherson, KPMG Australia’s National Managing Partner of Audit and Assurance, also stepped down at the time. From the beginning, Stavros’s appointment was explicitly interim, with the board continuing its search for Yates’s permanent successor. A KPMG partner for almost two decades, Stavros has more than 30 years of experience advising governments and corporations on infrastructure, property and major service-delivery projects.
Before taking the top job temporarily, he was the firm’s National Managing Partner of Deal Advisory and Infrastructure. His role during the crisis was not simply ceremonial. Stavros became responsible for stabilising the firm, reshaping its leadership and beginning the governance reforms that Sams will now be expected to carry through.
Within days of Stavros taking over, chief operating officer Eileen Hoggett stepped aside from that role and returned temporarily to audit work. Sams, who had been chief financial officer since October 2025, was given the additional responsibilities of chief operating officer on 3 June. Other appointments were made across the audit and advisory businesses as KPMG attempted to contain the fallout.
Julian McPherson (sourced LinkedIn) Eileen Hoggett (sourced KPMG) Later in June, Stavros announced a broader leadership and governance overhaul. Chairman Martin Sheppard confirmed he would leave the firm, while KPMG committed…
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