KPMG Australia elects next national chairman
KPMG Australia has elected its next national chairman to take over from Alison Kitchen when her term ends on 31 August.
“Martin is well known and respected by boards and CEOs across Australia as a leader and highly effective decision-maker,” said Ms Kitchen.
“I am delighted that Martin will succeed me and congratulate him on his appointment. He will work closely with Andrew Yates, our CEO, to lead the firm’s future in Australia and represent the Australian firm in the international arena. I look forward to working with Martin to ensure a smooth transition.
“KPMG’s national chairman has an overarching responsibility for holding the firm to the highest professional standards of governance, quality and integrity to engender trust of KPMG’s people, clients, and community. The separation of board and management is critical for the appropriate oversight and holding to account of our CEO and executive team on all aspects of performance.”
Mr Sheppard has worked at KPMG for almost three decades across multiple locations in London, Sydney, and Melbourne and several practices including audit, transaction services, and consulting.
His previous roles at the firm included as an audit partner where he was the lead audit signing partner for some of the nation’s largest listed companies and is currently on KPMG’s national executive committee.
During his hiatus from KPMG between 2015 and 2017 Mr Sheppard was chief executive and managing director of Spotless Limited where he lead a $3 billion turnover business with more than 30,000 employees, which gave him insight into the challenges faced by many of the firm’s clients.
Mr Sheppard said he is honoured to be elected to the role and is excited by the opportunity the position provides.
“I am extremely pleased and grateful to our partners for entrusting this critical role to me,” said Mr Sheppard.
“The role of national chairman at KPMG is pivotal to upholding the highest standards of governance and all aspects of our firm’s performance.
“I look forward to utilising my experience to ensure that KPMG continues to develop and deliver the critical professional services the market needs to enable change and uphold confidence.”
KPMG said Mr Sheppard would officially commence as chairman of KPMG Australia on 1 September 2023.
