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SYDNEY, May 29 (Reuters) - Accounting firm KPMG Australia said on Friday its CEO and head of audit quit after an investigation into complaints raised by a whistleblower about sharing client data fell short of its standards, in a blow to the country's professional services sector.

CEO Andrew Yates, who joined the firm in 1990 and became CEO in 2021, resigned after its investigation into the whistleblower's allegations "fell short of the firm's expectations, those of the whistleblower and the broader community", the firm said in a statement.

The firm's managing partner of audit and assurance, Julian McPherson, also stepped down and would leave the firm after an orderly transition, the statement added.

"It is clear that in this case we have let ourselves down and I take accountability," Yates said in the same statement.

McPherson said: “Matters have arisen for which I am responsible, and I take accountability.”