Karren Brady is in a fix. The business woman and fierce advocate of gender equality got terrible press today for stepping down from Philip Green’s Arcadia empire, two weeks after saying she would stay for the good of staff, who include her daughter.
Walking away would be the “easy thing to do”, she said at first, a quote that may haunt her forever.
I think the press comment was inevitable. I also feel (slightly) sorry for her.
No men at the top of Green’s empire are expected to resign because the boss is facing allegations of sexual harassment. It’s all on her.
She was in an impossible position. Though she did put herself in it by agreeing to be chair of Taveta Investments in the first place.
Not everyone in business thinks it is a complete shock that SPG’s reputation is, erm, at risk.
From here, she is doing the only thing she possibly could – say nothing. She couldn’t have resigned immediately the Green allegations stepped up.
For a start, she needed time to negotiate her exit with Sir Philip (That must have been a right laugh. Not.)
What does she do from here?
A PR man says: “Say nothing. For quite a while. At some point she needs to explain herself. Why she worked for Green in the first place. Why she finally left. And everything in between.”
An exclusive tell-all in The Mail on Sunday in a few months time is my bet.
