{"id":861490,"date":"2026-08-20T02:10:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/861490\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T02:10:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T02:10:20","slug":"kpmg-job-cuts-john-sams-speaks-on-plans-for-staff-purge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/861490\/","title":{"rendered":"KPMG job cuts: John Sams speaks on plans for staff purge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Colin<\/p>\n

Updated August 20, 2026 \u2014 11:06am,first published August 20, 2026 \u2014 8:00am<\/p>\n

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KPMG chief executive John Sams confirmed that the embattled firm has begun talks with senior partners who will be cut as part of a massive staff purge expected next week due to the whistleblower scandal engulfing the firm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been clear in recent communications with partners and our people that we are undertaking a process to review our cost base and workforce to ensure the firm is sustainable and well positioned for the future,\u201d he told partners in an email on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n

\"NoNo decisions have been made about staff roles at this point but, as I have said in previous communications, we expect to make those decisions soon.\u201c: KPMG Australia CEO John Sams sent an email to staff on Wednesday night.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n

\u201cConversations have commenced this week with impacted partners. No decisions have been made about staff roles at this point but, as I have said in previous communications, we expect to make those decisions soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sams said he expects to provide a further update next week.<\/p>\n

Internal sources have said this is when the firm is expected to announce as many as 1000 staff<\/a> will be cut in response to the massive change of fortunes since KPMG confirmed whistleblower allegations that confidential customer information was used to try and win new audit business.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe planned job cuts come just one week after current and former KPMG executives were forced to front another public hearing into the scandal.Renee Nowytarger<\/p>\n

The Australian reported 500 staff will be cut, which is at the lower end of estimates in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am frustrated and sorry that we are all dealing with this speculation. I know it is unsettling for all of us, and our teams,\u201d Sams said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t comment any further until decisions are made but I expect to provide a further update next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The planned job cuts come just one week after current and former KPMG executives were forced to front another public hearing<\/a> into the scandal and the actions which kept the explosive allegations suppressed for two years.<\/p>\n

Sacked KPMG executive Eileen Hoggett was confronted with evidence showing she emailed a colleague about confidential documents stored in her locker, confirming one of the most damning whistleblower allegations.<\/p>\n

Hoggett told the hearing she was still trying to ascertain the reason for her unprecedented sacking, and attested to the financial cost.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get my accrued annual leave. I don\u2019t get the retirement payment, which I contributed to as a partner for 21 years, and I did not get paid for the last month up until to the date of my expulsion. So (it\u2019s a) significant financial penalty,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This week, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission\u2019s (ASIC) revealed its probe into the whistleblower scandal at KPMG now includes companies controlled by the accounting and consulting giant<\/a>, and potentially these companies\u2019 directors.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"KPMG<\/a><\/p>\n

The directors, who were on the boards of KPMG\u2019s corporate entities since the initial complaint was made in 2024, include former NSW premier Mike Baird and senior KPMG executives. This includes former CEO Andrew Yates and Martin Sheppard who resigned over the growing scandal with full retirement benefits despite questions over their roles in not discovering the scandal for almost two years.<\/p>\n

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"ColinColin Kruger<\/a> is a senior business reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Updated August 20, 2026 \u2014 11:06am,first published August 20, 2026 \u2014 8:00am Save You have reached your maximum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":861491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-861490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}