Pain and persuasion top to-do list for new KPMG boss John Sams

John Sams found out he was the new chief executive of embattled big four accounting firm KPMG at 8.30am on Tuesday morning. His honeymoon period won’t have lasted past lunchtime. Sams, a long-time KPMG partner and the firm’s chief financial officer since last September, is in a race against the clock to tick five key items off his to-do list: convince clients, staff, potential directors and governments that the firm’s much-hyped action plan is workable, and deliver the inevitable round of painful cost-cutting and restructuring required to meet the reality of KPMG’s shrinking business. Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Fetching latest articles