Andrew Yates quits immediately as accounting firm admits its speak-up culture fell short on client data misuse allegations
KPMG Australia chief executive Andrew Yates has resigned with immediate effect after the firm acknowledged its repeated failure to properly investigate a whistleblower's allegations that client documents were being inappropriately shared internally.
Yates, who joined KPMG in 1990 and had led the firm as chief executive since 2021, stood down on 29 May 2026 alongside Julian McPherson, KPMG Australia's managing partner of audit and assurance. McPherson will step down from his leadership role and resign from the firm following an orderly handover of client responsibilities. Partner Stan Stavros has been appointed interim chief executive.
The departures follow a finding by legal firm Allens – appointed by KPMG's board to review the firm's prior investigations – that those investigations "fell short of the rigour required" to properly assess the whistleblower's claims. KPMG chair Martin Sheppard confirmed the board accepted Yates' resignation immediately.
"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," Yates said in a statement released by the firm.
McPherson added: "Matters have arisen for which I am responsible, and I take accountability."
The whistleblower's initial allegations – centred on the inappropriate internal...
Prosecutors concluded that claims alleging President Lee Jae Myung was sent to a juvenile detention center as a teenager were false. An indictment filed by prosecutors against Morse Tan stated tha...