KPMG Australia’s CEO Andrew Yates quits over whistleblower scandal

KPMG’s Australian chief, Andrew Yates, will step down immediately, after taking responsibility for the consultancy firm’s failure to properly respond to whistleblower allegations around the misuse of client information. The firm’s chief executive made the announcement on Friday morning, saying in a statement: “I have been committed to a speak-up culture in our firm”. “It is clear that in this case we have let ourselves down and I take accountability,” said Yates, who was appointed to the top role at KPMG Australia in 2021. The head of KPMG’s audit and assurance division, Julian McPherson, will also step down from his role and will leave the company “after an orderly transition of his client responsibilities”. The firm said it was continuing to investigate “a matter relating to client documents being inappropriately shared internally,” and recognised its internal reviews had fallen short. “ KPMG Australia confirms its treatment of a whistleblower and investigation into their allegations fell short of the firm’s expectations, those of the whistleblower and the broader community,” it said in a statement. …