Tesco chairman John Allan is leaving the company after allegations of misconduct
John Allan, chief executive officer of esco, is set to resign after the supermarket group said the businessman’s allegations of misconduct “could become a distraction”.
Mr Allan, who has been the retailer’s chairman for eight years, has firmly denied three out of four allegations against him, including allegations of inappropriate touching, calling the allegations “completely unfounded”.
The supermarket said it had made “no findings of wrongdoing” against Mr Allan, whose tenure was coming to an end anyway.
In a separate statement, he said he regretted “having to resign early from his position at Tesco”.
It comes a week after The Guardian said four women approached him claiming Mr Allan’s behavior was inappropriate or unprofessional.
The newspaper said that Mr Allan allegedly touched the buttocks of a senior executive at last year’s shareholders’ meeting.
He was also accused of touching the buttocks of a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) worker in May 2019.
Mr Allan, 74, was previously president of the CBI, which has been rocked by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct in recent months.
The director general of the CBI and employees of the trade association were fired after more than a dozen women came forward saying they had been victims of wrongdoing.
Mr Allan denied three of the allegations against him and apologized for the fourth – that he had commented on a woman’s appearance.
One claim related to last year’s AGM.
Tesco, which investigated the allegation, said on Friday: “This review has found no evidence or complaints in relation to John at the 2022 Tesco AGM or ever during his tenure as Tesco chairman.”
Board Member Byron Grote said: “John has made a valuable contribution to Tesco in his eight years as Chairman.
“He successfully guided the board through the turnaround and Covid while helping to rebuild the company.
“While we have received no complaints about John’s conduct and have made no findings of wrongdoing, these allegations risk distracting Tesco.”
Mr. Grote will serve as interim chairman until someone is found to take on the role full-time.
In a separate statement, Mr Allan said: “It is with regret that I have to resign early as chief executive officer of Tesco Plc following anonymous and unfounded allegations against me, according to The Guardian.”
“These claims are completely unfounded, as evidenced by Tesco’s internal procedures.
“Tesco conducted an ‘extensive internal review’, which asked Tesco employees and former employees to come forward anonymously if they had concerns about my conduct.
“Tesco has also been in contact with those who attended the meeting where the incident is alleged to have occurred and video footage of the meeting has also been reviewed.”
He added: “There is no evidence of any wrongdoing at this time or at any stage in my tenure at Tesco and I remain determined to prove my innocence.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/tesco-chairman-john-allan-to-leave-after-misconduct-allegations-b1082450.html Tesco chairman John Allan is leaving the company after allegations of misconduct
