(Trinidad Guardian) Massy has appointed an “independent external counsel” (who they refused to identify) to investigate the claims made by its former executive vice president of business integrity and group general counsel Angélique Parisot-Potter about its executive leadership programme.
The company has taken a decision that no new cohorts will be initiated into the leadership training programme hosted by Delphi Sphere Consulting.
The Sunday Guardian was told that those currently enrolled in the programme have been given the option to complete or stop.
Massy, the Sunday Guardian was told, will be guided by the outcome of the investigation.
The investigation will focus on Parisot-Potter’s claims raised in the 13-page letter to the company’s president and chief executive officer Gervase Warner.
On December 18, at the company’s annual general meeting, Parisot-Potter took to the floor during the question and answer period and voiced concerns about the conglomerate’s executive leadership consultant–the Florida-based, Delphi.
Parisot-Potter claimed that Delphi engages in bizarre rituals for executives, that their leadership programme is a drain of scarce foreign exchange and that the couple leading the programme appear to exert disproportionate influence over Massy’s executive team.
She told the company’s board of directors, chaired by Robert Riley, that she had written to Warner but received no communication on the matter so she was compelled to raise the matter at the AGM.
Massy’s board of directors subsequently issued a statement dismissing her claims as “untrue” and “scandalous” and said it was appalled by her conduct and had initiated a disciplinary process against her duties as the general counsel to the company and “will follow due process to determine how this should be handled responsibly yet decisively.”
Parisot-Potter was sent on administrative leave until January 12, but she resigned on December 27 with immediate effect.
Her resignation means her exit from the company will not be a negotiated one.
Last week, she told Guardian Media that her decision to walk away stemmed from claims being made about her motives and that she was waiting on a settlement from Massy.
“This decision comes one month after I formally raised concerns within Massy and to which I have not received a response. I hope that this will allow me to contribute to the broader conversation on governance, particularly in publicly listed companies,” she had said.
At the AGM Parisot-Potter said, “This is a matter of grave concern to shareholders because the couple leading the programme appear to exert disproportionate influence over our executive team. In the midst of a foreign exchange crisis, Massy cannot be spending scarce resources on highly dubious activities, and contracts awarded cannot be pushed through without prudent due process. This is not just a governance issue; it’s a blatant disregard for shareholder interests.”
At that time, Warner said that many of the group’s leaders and some board members had attended the programme and that Parisot-Potter would not be the first executive who has had difficulty in a programme like this. They have now been given the option to complete the training or drop out.
“We think a part of our secret at Massy is that we are willing to do this kind of work as leaders. It is the kind of work that we have done that allows us to have the results the company shows. That is because culture eats strategy for breakfast,” he had said and added that building connection and trust with other leaders, employees, customers and communities is a big part of Massy’s success.
