CBI president apologises over sexual misconduct allegations
The president of Britain’s most influential business lobby organisation has apologised for a spate of sexual misconduct allegations and “toxic culture” that has left the Confederation of British Industry fighting for its future.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Brian McBride apologised to those alleging various forms of sexual misconduct, which span several years, by senior figures at the organisation, including an allegation of rape, first reported in a Guardian investigation last month.
The revelations have plunged the CBI into a crisis that has led to the dismissal of its director general, Tony Danker, cancelled events after the withdrawal of multiple stakeholders and prompted an investigation by the City of London police. As the CBI promised to reveal early findings from an independent investigation, several of its members have since contemplated leaving.
McBride, the former UK chief executive of Amazon, said the board unanimously backed the decision to fire Danker, who was informed of his dismissal shortly before the news was made public. “Yes, we did act pretty hastily, but we also acted on very firm ground. We had pretty good legal advice all the way through this process.”
Danker said he was shocked to learn of his dismissal, adding: “I recognise that I unintentionally made a number of colleagues feel uncomfortable and I am truly sorry about that.”
The CBI claims to represent about 190,000 businesses, ranging from Barclays Bank to Asda supermarket, and have unrivalled access to government at all levels.
McBride said on Friday: “The first thing I want to say is really a deep apology on behalf of me and the CBI for what’s happened and to the people who were involved in this.
The first complaints of alleged sexual
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