Who was the senior executive, who thought he had a new job in the offing at Harvey Norman and then, as what was being kicked around the industry for some time prior, was suddenly terminated by senior management where he worked due to sales tanking and conflicts with retailers suddenly found himself on the outer.

According to sources Harvey Norman management decided to not go ahead with the appointment over concerns among their suppliers if he was appointed.

It’s claimed that at one stage the executive who is now on gardening leave told current Harvey Norman management that if David Ackery who retired last year as an executive director had still been at the Company he would have been hired.

David Ackery who spent the past 18 years in the executive director role and 30 years at Harvey Norman was known for building up key business, relations senior executives at suppliers.

ChannelNews understands that the executive already had what’s been described as a “cosy relationship” with Harvey Norman prior to his axing, with questions raised on whether information on what The Good Guys and JB Hi Fi were buying was shared with Harvey Norman management, some insiders claim it was.