The woman taking over one of South Africa’s biggest accounting firms

One of the biggest auditing firms in the world has announced that its South African unit will soon have a new CEO.

KPMG in South Africa has announced that Joelene Pierce will take up the reins as CEO from 1 March 2026. The firm’s partners voted for the appointment on 31 July 2025. 

This comes in light of KPMG South Africa’s current CEO Ignatius Sehoole’s imminent retirement.

Pierce currently serves as the Head of Financial Services in South Africa and is a member of the KPMG South Africa Policy Board. 

Having been with the firm for the past 26 years, undertaking a partner role for 19 of those, she brings extensive expertise in key areas of financial services.

She boasts experience in retail banking, corporate treasuries, securities trading and asset-based securitisation structures and has worked with most of KPMG’s top 10 clients.

“It is an honour to hand over to not only a highly skilled, responsible leader, but one whose career has been underpinned by driving the core principles which we, as a business, are passionate about and actively drive within the sector,” Sehoole said.

“However, it is not just the technical skills and know-how that sets CEOs apart; it is the ability to truly connect with various stakeholders and ensure that everyone – internally and externally – remains committed to the firm’s key values and principles.” 

“Her appointment ensures that a sound focus on innovative and next-generation thinking will be prioritised alongside the key focus areas of ethical governance, integrity and holding the firm accountable to maintain public trust.”

Sehoole was a crucial part of KPMG’s efforts in recent years to clean up its reputation after the firm came under intense scrutiny for its role during South Africa’s state capture era.

The firm’s links to this and other corruption cases in South Africa severely eroded its reputation. Since his appointment in 2019, Sehoole has been tasked with rebuilding the firm’s local image.

“I am extremely grateful and honoured to take on this new role and build on the strong foundations created during Ignatius’ tenure,” Pierce said.

“I am committed to remaining focused on transformation and ethical practice, as well as embedding critical thinking into the business.” 

“This will ensure that, in addition to continuing the strong focus on instilling trust in the brand, we continue to expand the firm’s role in social and economic development.” 

She said that, with a strong client base across different sectors, building on this will be a priority, along with continued development for KPMG’s people and culture.

Sehoole will step down as CEO on 1 March 2026, as he heads into retirement. Until then, Sehoole and Pierce will undertake a focused handover to ensure a smooth transition into her role.

“We wish Ignatius all the best and would like to thank him for the unwavering commitment to the KPMG brand over the last six years,” KPMG South Africa chairman Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu said.

“His contribution has been exceptional, and he has led this business with the highest level of ethics, transparency and diligence, with a solid commitment to transformation and market excellence.”