Super Retail Group fires CEO Anthony Heraghty over affair allegations
For almost two years, one of Australia’s top retailers has denied that its chief executive was having an affair with a subordinate.
On the eve of a courtroom showdown, the Super Retail Group board on Tuesday declared that it no longer believed chief executive Anthony Heraghty, who has run the company that owns BCF, Macpac, Rebel and Supercheap Auto for a decade.
Mr Heraghty was summarily fired and told his bonuses would be cancelled.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The decision is a victory for two former executives suing the Queensland-based company for allegedly allowing Mr Heraghty and ex-human resources chief Jane Kelly to misuse company funds, bully subordinates who challenged their decisions, and oversee a toxic workplace culture.
“The Board made this decision after receiving new information from Mr Heraghty regarding his relationship with the company’s former Chief Human Resources Officer,” the company said in a statement to the stock exchange. “In light of this new information, the Board has concluded Mr Heraghty’s prior disclosures were not satisfactory.”
Super Retail did not disclose any more about what the new information was. The company is due in the Federal Court next week to defend a lawsuit filed by its former chief lawyer, Rebecca Farrell, and company secretary Amelia Berczelly, who were sacked. Both sides have been sharing evidence ahead of the hearing.
Court allegations
Legal documents made public earlier alleged Mr Heraghty and Ms Kelly were in a relationship as early as 2020, and oversaw a culture of bullying, victimisation and sloppy record-keeping.
Until today, the company defended Mr Heraghty. It maintained an investigation had been conducted into the allegations in December, 2023, and found no evidence to support them. Ms Kelly left the business a month earlier, according to her LinkedIn biography.
Last April the company said: “The board has conducted a review and investigations into these allegations. The board’s review and investigations concluded that none of the allegations are substantiated.”
The company’s shares fell 3 per cent to $16.72 after Tuesday’s news, although are still up 10 per cent year to date to give the sports and outdoor adventure retailer a valuation of $3.8 billion.
Office affairs
Mr Heraghty’s dismissal extends a long line of male chief executives tripped up by office romances with female colleagues.
Last July, a music concert by British band Coldplay set the internet alight with memes after, Andy Byron, the boss of US tech company Astronomer was filmed hugging his female chief people officer in a cheating scandal that led both executives out of the company.
In October 2024, Richard White, the founder and CEO of $33.2 billion ASX-listed tech giant WiseTech Global resigned after it was revealed he had been in a brief relationship with an employee, who he also bought a Sydney house.
In 2020, the former Nine Entertainment chief executive, Hugh Marks, resigned after unveiling a relationship with the media group’s senior marketing executive Alexi Baker. Mr Marks was appointed the managing director of ABC last March.
Elsewhere, John Neal the former CEO of blue-chip insurer QBE Insurance had his pay docked $550,000 in 2017 for failing to disclose to its board a romantic relationship with his executive assistant.
Super Retail looks ahead
Super Retail’s chief financial officer David Burns has been appointed interim chief executive while the company undertakes a search for a full-time replacement for Mr Heraghty.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement the board added that Mr Heraghty will forfeit all unvested incentives and any vested but unexercised rights to certain financial benefits.
Mr Heraghty’s total remuneration in financial year 2025 reached $4.53 million. This included fixed annual pay of $1.5m a cash bonus of $620,760, and unrestricted share grants to a value of $1.5m. According to the retailer’s latest annual report the group had a gender pay gap of 3.2 per cent per a report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
The retailer posted an adjusted net profit down 4 per cent to $232.4m on sales up 4.5 per cent to $4.07 billion for the financial year ending June 30.
