Two top executives at KPMG Australia have resigned their positions after the accounting firm’s internal investigation into whistleblower complaints about client data sharing failed to meet company standards, the firm announced Friday.
Andrew Yates, who has been with the company since 1990 and served as chief executive since 2021, stepped down after the firm’s probe into the whistleblower’s concerns “fell short of the firm’s expectations, those of the whistleblower and the broader community,” according to a company statement.
Julian McPherson, the firm’s managing partner of audit and assurance, also resigned and will depart the company following an organized transition period, the statement said.
“It is clear that in this case we have let ourselves down and I take accountability,” Yates stated in the announcement.
McPherson acknowledged his role, saying: “Matters have arisen for which I am responsible, and I take accountability.”
The departures represent a significant setback for Australia’s professional services industry as the accounting firm grapples with the fallout from the whistleblower allegations.
