Martin Sorrell was accused by former colleagues of treating assistants poorly.GETTY IMAGES
More than 25 people who "worked closely" with former WPP CEO MARTIN SORRELL discussed what triggered a "chain of events" that led to him "stepping down from a business he had spent 33 years building," according to Marriage & Garrahan of the FINANCIAL TIMES. What emerged is "a picture of routine verbal abuse of underlings" and a blending of Sorrell's corporate and private life that "jarred with some colleagues -- particularly over his company expenditure," some of which was also extended to his wife, CRISTIANA SORRELL. In the weeks following the 73-year-old's departure, there has been "criticism of the company's handling of the matter, in particular the lack of disclosure over the reasons for his exit." Sorrell was "able to walk away from WPP with his multimillion-pound incentive arrangements intact." Initial "disquiet has turned to anger among some shareholders and employees" after he announced last month that he was launching his own advertising group, "a potential competitor to WPP." The absence of any information beyond WPP saying that an investigation into alleged personal misconduct "concluded" has led to "wild and unsourced speculation about his departure." But interviews with a range of WPP employees, past and present, have "allowed a picture of events to emerge," which centers on an "alleged visit to a Mayfair brothel one year ago" -- said to have been witnessed by two employees, one of whom later reported it to the company. This alleged incident "raised questions about the possible use of company funds and appeared to fit a pattern where personal and company expenses were hard to separate." Sorrell's treatment of his assistants and other junior colleagues was "well known among senior staff, but they did not know how to respond when they witnessed it," according to current and former execs within the WPP group. One former exec said, "He was brutal and inhuman in how he dealt with his assistants. He would say 'You're fucking idiots, what's fucking wrong with you.' ... He had a real dark side." A former WPP board member added, "I never had a problem with Martin. He never raised his voice or shouted at me. But [with the] PAs in his office who rotated in and out with a lot of frequency, he used to treat them pretty badly." Sorrell accepted he "can be difficult at times, especially in cases of poor performance," but he denies he "mistreated, abused or bullied staff." His supporters "point to the longevity of many people's careers in diverse roles at all levels at WPP." While there have been exceptions, exec assistants working in Sorrell's "immediate orbit" have "typically lasted no more than 18 months or so." For many, the job "proved just too demanding." As one former employee said, "After a year, my doctor told me that if I continued I would be dead" (FT, 6/11).
