The Seven West Media board has cleared its chief executive, Tim Worner, of allegations of misconduct, including allegations of illicit drug use and credit card misuse, following revelations in December that he had an extramarital affair with an employee of the company.
An independent review by Richard Harris, a litigation and investigations partner at Allens Linklaters, looked at the circumstances surrounding the now very public affair Worner had with Amber Harrison, an executive assistant, between 2012 and 2014.
Harrison said in December that the affair left her unemployed, “broken and penniless”, and she was going public after three failed attempts at negotiating a settlement with the company.
She described Seven as a company where “entrenched sexist culture prevails and provides that a male executive behaving badly is rewarded and protected while the company will destroy the woman who stands up it”.
Harrison also alleged that Worner had four other affairs with unnamed network stars and that he had used cocaine when they met up for sex, but Seven ordered an independent review and is satisfied the allegations are unfounded.
“The strong and vehement denials by the four employees falsely accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Mr Worner are accepted without reservation and cast doubt on the veracity of other accusations,” Seven said in a statement on Friday. “The allegations of illicit drug use by Mr Worner could not be substantiated.”
However, on the eve of the company’s exoneration of Worner, one of the two female board members, Sheila McGregor, resigned suddenly.
Seven said it would take no further disciplinary action against Worner for the “inappropriate relationship”.
“This has been a tumultuous time for the entire company and with the receipt of the independent review this matter can now be brought to a conclusion,” the statement said.
“The Board has at all times made clear to Mr Worner that while the relationship, which concluded in July 2014, was personal and consensual, it was inappropriate given his senior position in the company and not behaviour condoned by the company. Mr Worner has been disciplined by the Chairman and the Board and provided an undertaking this behaviour will not be repeated, as well as an apology.”
Before the board could release the statement, McGregor, who has served since June 2015, tendered her resignation .
“Seven West Media Limited today announces that Sheila McGregor has resigned as a non-executive director of the company,” a statement said. “The company thanks Ms McGregor for her service to the Board and wishes her well for the future.”
A series of explicit text messages sent by Worner to Harrison were not denied by Seven but were described by the board as “totally objectionable”.
“However, the Board is of the view that the communications were consensual, personal and private in nature and were only disclosed as a result of a breach of express confidentiality obligations.”
After Harrison went public, Worner apologised for his conduct in an email to staff, but said the allegations made against him were “factually incorrect”.
“Without reservation, I apologise to you all,” he wrote.
“What I did was wrong. What I did is certainly not a reflection of the standards of the Shareholders, the Chairman, the Board or any of you.
“You are entitled to, and I hope expect, better decisions from me.”
When the affair began, Harrison was 35 and executive assistant to Nick Chan, then chief executive of Seven West’s magazine division, Pacific Magazines.
Harrison told Guardian Australia she was very disappointed but not surprised by what she described as a “whitewash” by Seven West Media.
“At my interview with Allens Linklater I provided explicit evidence to show that Mr Worner misused his credit card in the pursuit of his relationship with me and that he used cocaine when he was with me at work functions and events,” she said. “The claims by Seven that these allegations cannot be substantiated are a joke.”
