KPMG chief purpose officer Richard Boele to leave firm
Richard Boele’s exit puts KPMG’s culture remit under the microscope after the audit leak scandal, as staff wait to see whether the role gets replaced or absorbed.
KPMG Australia’s chief purpose officer Richard Boele is leaving the firm, a move that will test whether the partnership still treats culture oversight as a real management job after weeks of scandal and leadership churn. For auditors, consultants and advisors, the issue is not just one executive’s exit but who gets to own values, trust and conduct when pressure rises.
Boele was never a decorative title. KPMG Australia installed him as its first ever chief purpose officer in November 2021, and he had already been a partner with KPMG Banarra since 2015, after KPMG acquired the boutique he founded. An AFR report in 2015 said that deal brought Boele and 10 consultants into KPMG’s Climate Change & Sustainability practice, tying the role to human rights and social impact work rather than generic internal communications.
The departure lands after a brutal stretch for KPMG Australia’s governance. On June 3, 2026, the firm’s COO stepped aside amid the audit leak scandal. Two days later, Australia’s corporate regulator opened a probe into KPMG Australia partners, and by June 23 the chairman and two senior partners had resigned as the fallout widened. KPMG then brought in an independent chairman on July 1 after whistleblower allegations, and on July 21 John Sams was promoted to chief executive from inside the firm after serving as CFO from October 2025 and COO from June 2026.
Sams has said KPMG had "serious work to do" on culture, leadership and governance. The firm also fined staff up to A$126,000 on July 20 for "unacceptable" misconduct linked to the audit scandal, while Australia said on July 22 it would increase oversight of auditors after the case. KPMG Australia later said on July 30 that no decision had been made on workforce changes after reports of 1,000 job cuts. For employees, that mix of discipline, restructuring talk and regulatory scrutiny makes the culture portfolio more than a branding exercise. In a partnership where promotion decisions, partner track and busy-season pressure shape daily life, the person who carries culture can influence how seriously leadership responds when standards slip.
Boele’s public profile reinforced that purpose work was part of KPMG’s outward identity too. He appeared in KPMG podcast material and Purpose Conference listings focused on human rights, social impact and purpose, and a LinkedIn post he wrote said, "Eleven years ago today, Banarra became part of KPMG. Today I’m letting you know I’ve now retired." The next call KPMG makes on whether to replace the role, redistribute it or fold it into another portfolio will say more about the firm’s priorities than any values memo.
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