Tesco chairman John Allan to quit after claims over behaviour

After eight years in the position, Mr. Allan will depart Tesco in June.

He continued: “It is with regret that I am having to prematurely stand down from my position as chair of Tesco following the anonymous and unsubstantiated allegations made against me, as reported by the Guardian.”

According to a story in the Guardian, Mr. Allan touched a Tesco worker during the grocery chain’s annual shareholder meeting the previous year.

Additionally, it claimed that in 2019 during a CBI function, Mr. Allan “grabbed” a worker. These statements, according to him, were “simply untrue” earlier.

Tesco chairman disputes inappropriate physical contact
In 2021, it is also alleged that he made remarks on the attire and undergarments of a CBI employee. According to Mr. Allan, he cannot remember this episode.

He has acknowledged, meanwhile, that he made remarks regarding a garment that fit a female CBI employee’s physique in late 2019.

Allan stated he was “mortified after commenting” and that he regretted it right after.

He served as the CBI’s president from 2018 to 2020 in addition to one year as vice president.

The retail chain announced that it has started a “extensive review of the allegation” in response to allegations that he had inappropriately touched a Tesco employee.

Colleagues were urged “to come forward if they had concerns regarding any conduct issues, and specifically at the Tesco 2022 annual general meeting (AGM)” according to the store.

It also went into its internal complaints records and the event’s video.

“While we have not received any complaints about John’s conduct and have not found any wrongdoing,” Mr. Grote stated, “these allegations run the risk of becoming a distraction for Tesco.”

“On behalf of the board, I thank him for his substantial contribution to the business,” he said.

“These allegations are utterly baseless, as Tesco’s internal procedures prove,” Mr. Allan stated.

“There is no evidence of any wrongdoing at that time or any stage of my chairmanship at Tesco and I remain determined to prove my innocence.”

Concurrently, the largest lobbying group in Britain, the CBI, has been accused of sexual misconduct on several occasions.

Among these are two rape complaints that the City of London Police are looking into.

After an outside review by the legal firm Fox Williams, the CBI acknowledged that it had employed “culturally toxic” employees and had neglected to terminate those who had harassed female coworkers sexually.

It has since let go of a few employees.

Additionally, Rain Newton-Smith, its previous top economist, has been appointed director general.

She took Tony Danker’s position, who was let go in April after receiving multiple complaints about inappropriate behavior at work.

Mr. Danker has admitted to having “very uncomfortable” feelings toward some employees. “I apologize for that,” he said.

However, he said that other allegations, including one of rape, that supposedly happened at the CBI before to his joining, had been falsely linked to his identity.

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