Bosses at the brewer Adnams have had discussions about potentially leaving the Confederation of British Industry after a Guardian investigation revealed multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by the influential business lobby group’s staff.
Andy Wood, Adnams’s chief executive, on Thursday said management at the Suffolk-based brewer had talked about leaving the organisation, depending on the outcome of an independent investigation.
The CBI is facing a crisis after the Guardian reported allegations from more than a dozen women who said they had been victims of various forms of sexual misconduct by senior figures at the organisation. One woman alleged that she was raped at a staff party on a boat in 2019.
Tony Danker last month stepped aside as the CBI’s director general after an investigation into separate, unrelated allegations of misconduct.
The Department for Business and Trade on Wednesday said it was postponing ministerial engagement with the CBI until the lobby group concluded an investigation. Leading businesses including the FTSE 100 manufacturer Rolls-Royce have also expressed concerns, and have called for a thorough inquiry.
Asked if Adnams was considering pulling out of the CBI, Wood told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I was discussing this with our senior management team only this week, so, yes, it is on our agenda. But we would prefer to see the CBI sort itself out. It needs to be setting the standards here. Where we are at the moment is unacceptable.”
Wood acknowledged that it was conceivable that companies would look to lobby through other groups.
“It’s in a very difficult place, isn’t it?” he said. “If there is any scintilla of truth in any of this then I think I can speak for all members and say this behaviour is completely unacceptable and there’s no place for it in the workplace.”
He said he hoped an investigation commissioned by the CBI president, Brian McBride, and carried out by the law firm Fox Williams would be “measured but determined, and get to the bottom of this”.
“I hope it’s going to sort it out quickly. Speed is of the essence here,” he said. “Reputations take decades to build, and moments to destroy.”
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Danker has said previously that he apologises “profusely” for any offence he caused, and that it was “completely unintentional”.
The CBI expanded its inquiry to include the separate, new allegations revealed last week. The lobby group has hired an external human resources consultant to help manage complaints, as well as the law firm Fox Williams.
The CBI has said it has no record or evidence of the alleged rape.
