Tony Danker, the Confederation of British Industry’s director-general, has been dismissed with immediate effect, following an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The CBI’s board said Danker’s conduct had fallen short of that expected of the director-general, but that this did not relate to allegations of sexual harassment made by a female CBI employee, which were published in the Guardian recently.
In March, the business lobbying group instructed law firm Fox Williams to conduct an independent investigation into claims made about Danker’s conduct.
Last week more allegations of sexual misconduct by senior CBI figures emerged, including an attempted sexual assault, a manager propositioning women, and a senior manager sending explicit images to junior female staff.
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Three other CBI employees have been suspended pending further investigation.
It will also conduct a review of its culture, governance and processes, including routes for raising concerns, investigations, escalation protocols and responsibilities.
A new chief people officer role has been created and will sit on the CBI’s executive committee to report on workplace culture and conduct. This position has been taken by HR director Lauren Adams on an interim basis while external recruitment takes place.
The CBI’s board said in a statement: “The allegations that have been made over recent weeks about the CBI have been devastating. While investigations continue into a number of these, it is already clear to all of us that there have been serious failings in how we have acted as an organisation. We must do better, and we must be better.
“We apologise to the victims of this organisational failure, including those impacted by the revulsion we have all felt at hearing their stories. Nobody should feel unsafe in their workplace. We wish to thank all those who have had the courage to speak out, through internal or external channels, and encourage them to keep doing so.
“We represent our members not just in how we advocate for them, but also through our values as an organisation. It means we must be a place where colleagues are safe, valued and respected, and where there is zero tolerance for behaviour that falls short of those expectations.”
In a series of tweets, Danker said he was shocked to hear he had been dismissed.
He said: “I recognise the intense publicity the CBI has suffered following the revelations of awful events that occurred before my time in office. I was appalled to learn about them for the first time last week.
“I was nevertheless shocked to learn this morning that I had been dismissed from the CBI, instead of being invited to put my position forward as was originally confirmed. Many of the allegations against me have been distorted, but I recognise that I unintentionally made a number of colleagues feel uncomfortable and I am truly sorry about that. I want to wish my former CBI colleagues every success.”
Rain Newton-Smith, former CBI chief economist and currently managing director of strategy and policy, sustainability and ESG for Barclays, will rejoin the CBI as its new director-general.
Brian McBride, CBI president, said: “I am delighted that Rain has agreed to return to the CBI as our new director-general. She has a stellar record as a leader and advocate for UK business with all it can contribute to the economy and society.
“She is the right leader for the organisation, possessing deep knowledge of the challenges facing businesses who are trying to grow in these challenging economic times. I have every confidence that she will provide the clear-sighted leadership that the CBI and UK business needs.”
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Newton-Smith said: “It’s a huge privilege to be asked to return to the CBI to serve as its director-general. I passionately believe in the power of business to transform our society. I want the CBI to be an organisation of which we can all be proud. I am grateful and determined to lead the team through this challenging time. I look forward to working with the team, our members and stakeholders as we work together to achieve sustainable growth.”
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