Nigel Blow, the previous Harrods government, has mentioned Fenwick withdrew the supply of a CEO function simply two weeks earlier than he was attributable to be part of the corporate. The withdrawal of the supply adopted allegations of sexual assault and rape made in opposition to former Harrods proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed, of which Blow has denied all information.
Blow labored for Al Fayed at Harrods in varied senior roles from 2002 to 2007 and mentioned he had reacted “with horror” at a latest BBC documentary through which quite a few girls got here ahead to say that they had been abused by Al Fayed throughout his possession of the division retailer from 1985 to 2010.
“I can verify that, throughout my time on the enterprise, I by no means heard about or witnessed any such behaviour by Mr Al Fayed,” Blow has mentioned in a press release launched to TheIndustry.style.
Blow did nevertheless verify that he was conscious of different critical allegations made within the BBC documentary and was a sufferer of a few of Al Fayed’s malpractice himself, which led him to give up his function with Harrods.
“I did witness, nevertheless, quite a few situations of staff’ places of work, telephones and even automobiles being bugged, together with my very own. I used to be additionally conscious there have been occasions I used to be adopted by Al Fayed’s safety group. On a number of events I noticed transcripts of my very own phone calls on Mr Al Fayed’s desk. Such behaviour prompted me to hunt different employment from 2006,” Blow mentioned.
Blow, a seasoned retail government, had been attributable to be part of Fenwick as CEO this month nevertheless it was reported by the BBC earlier this week that he would now not be becoming a member of. That report prompt Blow himself had determined to not take up the put up, which he has denied.
“I’m shocked that Fenwick has withdrawn its supply of the CEO place to me, simply two weeks earlier than I used to be attributable to begin on 17 October and after a number of weeks of me assembly many Fenwick executives and shareholders in preparation for becoming a member of
“Fenwick introduced my appointment on July 30. I used to be very excited to affix Fenwick and tackle the numerous problem of turning the enterprise round to profitability after a run of poor, loss-making, outcomes in recent times.
“Disappointingly, Fenwick appears to have discovered me ‘responsible by affiliation’ in gentle of the comprehensible furore in regards to the reported behaviour of Harrods’ former proprietor Mohammed Al Fayed. I imagine Fenwick’s motion is unjustified, unfair and in breach of contract,” he mentioned. He’s now taking authorized recommendation.
After he left Harrods, Blow held many senior business roles together with heading up Irish division retailer Brown Thomas and impartial division retailer group Morley’s in South London, the place he had been CEO since 2019, having joined the enterprise in 2017.
“I’ve had a marvellous eight years with this persistently worthwhile retailer and solely the bigger and difficult alternative that Fenwick supplied me tempted me to depart.
“I resigned my place of CEO of Morley’s in July 2024 and am at present serving my discover interval with the total backing of the board,” he mentioned.
In 2013 Blow was appointed at Turnbull & Asser as managing director. This enterprise is owned by Mohammed Al Fayed’s brother, Ali Fayed and his three sons, who Blow mentioned he held “in very excessive regard”. “They reside within the USA and I don’t imagine they’d have recognized something about these horrible allegations regarding Harrods. Mohammed Al Fayed had nothing to do with the possession of Turnbull & Asser,” Blow mentioned.
Nigel Blow
He hit out on the BBC for not providing him the chance to clarify his place (and certainly for suggesting he had declined to take action) once they revealed the story about him now not becoming a member of Fenwick, believing the story had tarnished his skilled fame.
“I additionally should spotlight the sloppy and unprofessional journalistic requirements displayed by the BBC on this matter. The BBC claims I’ve declined to touch upon a number of events, however not as soon as has any enquiry reached me personally.
“On Thursday 26th September Ben King from the BBC despatched an e-mail by way of the Morley’s common enquiry e-mail. As it’s 18 years since I labored at Harrods, and I used to be about to depart the enterprise, it was determined internally that, as CEO of Morley’s, I ought to make no response.
“The identical week, I had been questioned by Fenwick’s chairman, deputy chairman and the incoming HR director about my potential information of Mr Al Fayed’s alleged behaviour. I assured them I had completely no information of any of the allegations and expressed my willingness to make a press release. Fenwick requested I didn’t make a press release. Caught in a two-week window between the CEO function of two main division retailer teams, I used to be working with their respective HR groups, with what I believed was their full help. Within the case of Fenwick this was not the case.
“I now know {that a} presumably related e-mail from the BBC was despatched to Fenwick on Monday 30th September, however Fenwick has declined to point out it to me. I nonetheless have by no means seen it, regardless of requesting a replica from each Fenwick and the BBC reporter.
“Regardless of this, after receipt of the BBC’s e-mail, by way of a gathering on Microsoft Groups at round 2pm on Monday, the Fenwick chairman Sian Westerman knowledgeable me the corporate ‘was not in a position to proceed’ with my employment as CEO of Fenwick on the mutually agreed date of October 17th 2024, as a way to safeguard the fame of the Fenwick enterprise. Fenwick then put out the unfaithful assertion at 3pm that I had determined to not be part of the enterprise. The choice was theirs, not mine. Fenwick claimed that they weren’t in a position to present me with written choices of a press release attributable to unexplained time restraints.”
“It could seem that the BBC group is ready to tarnish or spoil the fame of each senior one that labored at Harrods throughout Mr Al Fayed’s possession, underneath the intense and damaging misapprehension that ‘after all they will need to have recognized’. That may be a very critical assumption to make about what’s a really giant group of well-regarded retailing executives.”
Fenwick issued a press release to say: “In July 2024, we introduced that we might be appointing Nigel Blow as CEO of Fenwick. Nigel Blow has knowledgeable us that he’ll now not be taking on this place.” The corporate mentioned it might be making no additional remark to Blow’s assertion.
Harrods is at present finishing up an investigation into whether or not any present workers had been concerned in Al Fayed’s abuse and is inviting any additional victims of his crimes to return ahead.
