Login or become a Shortlist subscriber

Recruitment CEO validly sacked for credit card misuse

It was unreasonable for the chair of Harrier Group to cut then-CEO Kelly Quirk's pay by 10% and to say in a board meeting that she was "sulking", but ultimately she was validly sacked for misusing her company credit card and not, as she claimed, for complaining about bullying and an unsafe work environment, a court has ruled.

Judge Allyson Ladhams said that, despite the CEO's claim that she had repaid the personal expenses, her conduct nonetheless breached her employment contract and seriously risked Harrier Group's reputation and viability as a human capital services company.

"I emphasise that this is not a situation in which there was an occasional inadvertent use of the company credit card for personal expenses, which was rectified as soon as possible after the misuse was identified," she said...