JOHANNESBURG - KPMG South Africa said on Wednesday that chief executive Nhlamulo Dlomu will step down to allow a new leader to restore the auditor’s reputation after a corruption scandal that saw the company lose several major clients.
The new chief executive will be recruited externally, it said.
KPMG South Africa has cut jobs and lost business over work done for a company owned by the Gupta family, friends of former president Jacob Zuma who were accused of unduly influencing the award of billions of rand in government contracts.
Dlomu's time at KPMG
Dlomu
was the Executive Director, responsible for leading human resources before she took up the role of chief executive.
The auditing firm said that she was a member of the KPMG Policy Board and the Executive Committee.
In addition to her management roles, Dlomu also lead the People and Change Skills Group in Management Consulting.
Dlomu has had over 17 years’ experience in management consulting, organisational development and human resources gained across various industry sectors, according to KPMG.
KPMG said that as a former HR executive for organisational development for one of the largest banks in South Africa, her experience included leadership of teams delivering work in the following areas: culture change, organisational design, change management and workforce analytics.
Reputation and damage
“Given the scale of the reputational challenges facing both KPMG and the industry, the board has decided that a new chief executive from outside the firm, with strong industry experience, will optimise prospects of rebuilding trust,” KPMG said in a statement.
Dlomu will remain at the company, taking on a newly created global role focusing on ethical leadership and organisational culture change, it said.