EXCLUSIVE: Former Sony Executive, Now Working For A Major Brand, Faces New Harassment Allegations
Days after it was revealed that a senior executive at Sony Music Australia was fired following an investigation into claims of bullying and harassment of multiple staff members, we can exclusively reveal that another former Sony executive has also come under investigation for bullying in the workplace.
A former female executive at Sony Australia, who is now working for a major global brand in Australia in a senior management role, worked closely with the individual in question. This person had a chequered career at several companies before he joined Sony and has now left the Japanese company suddenly, prior to taking up his current role.
The female executive wrote to ChannelNews with allegations of “bullying and harassment”. She said, “Having worked personally for (name withheld at this stage) in my prior role at Sony, I would like to say that (name withheld) is an absolute bully in the workplace and that Sony had numerous reports to HR about his bullying.”
The individual, who is now working in the USA, provided ChannelNews with additional information including her name, US mobile number and an email address.
She is now an executive at Microsoft in the USA.
She claimed earlier today that other Sony staff members complained to the then head of Sony Human Resources Laura Kendall about the individual in question.
ChannelNews understands that several former female and male executives complained to Sony Australia about the “bullying” but “nothing happened” according to the now Microsoft executive.
ChannelNews is currently investigating these claims as the male individual is now in a senior position and has already “rocked the boat” at his new company.
Last week it was revealed that Tony Glover, who was the vice-president of commercial music at the Australian arm of the global music company, was fired following a weeks-long investigation that ended his three-decade career with Sony.
His termination comes during a wider reckoning against inappropriate behaviour by executives in companies such as Sony, Microsoft, Google, ViacomCBS (which owns Channel 10 in Australia) and several other CE and appliance multinationals.
A Sony Music Australia spokesperson said of the Glover sacking: “Upon receiving complaints of alleged inappropriate behaviour, a senior counsel was immediately engaged to independently investigate the allegations. Following completion of the investigation, the company acted on the findings. Sony Music Australia can confirm that Tony Glover has been dismissed with immediate effect.”
One woman, who was managed by Glover and asked to remain anonymous as she still works in the music industry and fears repercussions for speaking out against Sony, said she was unsurprised to hear of the accusations levelled against him.
The female executive who eventually quit Sony Australia told ChannelNews that the individual (whose name we know but are not revealing at this stage) said: “He was an outright bully, not just with female staff. I finally had enough and got out.”
The Sun-Herald and The Age have spoken to several former and current Sony Music employees who said they had witnessed inappropriate behaviour between Glover and the junior employee, both at the office and at Sony events.
Another woman, who asked to remain anonymous for the same reasons, worked at Sony Music for three years and said she was sexually harassed by Glover on two separate occasions.
ChannelNews has asked Sony to comment on these claims.
