KPMG appointed Michael Ebeid as chair in June 2024, following the resignation of former chair Martin Sheppard on June 23, 2024. Sheppard had faced scrutiny from a parliamentary inquiry into the firm's ethical conduct at the time of his resignation.

Greens Senator Barbara Pocock, a member of the parliamentary joint committee on corporations and financial services, stated that the appointment was not a "fresh start for KPMG that it attempts to be." She added, "It risks entrenching the very culture and leadership that need to change." Pocock also said that Ebeid is "a part of the culture and leadership team where things have gone seriously wrong in KPMG."

The parliamentary committee released emails containing comments Ebeid made in March. In these emails, Ebeid questioned the actions of Senator Deborah O'Neill, chair of the parliamentary committee, regarding allegations involving a KPMG whistleblower. O'Neill made these leak allegations public in a speech on March 24, 2024. KPMG's deputy chair, Carmel Mortell, alerted Ebeid and his colleagues to the allegations on March 25, 2024.

"I assume Senator O'Neil [sic] made no attempt to contact KPMG before speaking … which in itself would be very inappropriate and unfair of her," Ebeid wrote in an email. He also claimed, "As we know well, many of the statements she makes are completely false," and accused O'Neill of misrepresenting events to suggest KPMG retaliated against the whistleblower.

The parliamentary committee published these emails in response to Ebeid's promotion and stated that no member of the committee, including O'Neill, had met or knew Ebeid since the whistleblower allegations were raised. Pocock claimed Ebeid was attempting to "exercise inappropriate influence on senators and committee processes."

Ebeid later apologized for the claims in the released emails. He stated he would not have made the comments if he had known the full extent of KPMG's shortcomings at the time. "From what I now know … I would not have written that email and am sorry for sending it," he said. He added that he was not aware of "the full range of facts" when the email was sent, and noted, "I recognise the gravity of the whistleblower's allegations and the shortcomings in the firm's approach at the time."

KPMG admitted its initial investigations into the allegations, which had not found evidence of the claims, were insufficient. The firm acknowledged that at least three of its staff had leaked confidential information from Lendlease and Optus to colleagues who were bidding for audit contracts at Westpac, Dexus, and Telstra. Ebeid had been one of three independent board members overseeing KPMG's investigation into the whistleblower's allegations of leaks and other failings within the firm's audit division. He was also the only independent director to defend KPMG's claim of legal privilege regarding investigation documents, which Sheppard initially refused to share with the committee but later provided some on June 19, 2024.

Ebeid said he respects O'Neill and the committee, and pledged to engage constructively with their work. "I acknowledge the firm got things wrong but we are serious about fixing mistakes that have been made," he said.