Second Nine manager resigned amid complaints of inappropriate touching

The publicity boss of Nine Entertainment’s streaming service, Stan, left after an investigation into allegations he bullied and had inappropriate physical contact with staff, The Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday.

The allegations against former head of communications Adrian Foo were made by at least five people, the Financial Review reported, two of whom said he made them feel uncomfortable by hugging them, touching their knees or holding their shoulders.

Foo left Stan a year ago before the investigation had finished.

Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby and Adrian Foo (right) have been friends for many years.

At least two of those staff have signed non-disclosure agreements and several have left the business, the Financial Review said.

Foo is a friend of Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby, who ran Stan until April 2021.

In a statement, Nine – the owner of this masthead and the Financial Review – told the Financial Review that Sneesby had “played no part in – and had no visibility into – the process that led to Adrian Foo’s departure from Stan given their longstanding friendship”.

The allegations emerged as pressure mounts on Nine over accusations it failed to act on longstanding concerns about the behaviour of the television division’s news and current affairs boss Darren Wick, who left the company in March.

A formal, historical complaint had been made about Wick’s behaviour two months earlier, in January. It is understood only three executives were aware of the complaint, one of whom was Sneesby.

In the past two weeks, multiple women have come forward to media outlets, including this masthead, alleging Wick had a history of lecherous, drunken behaviour.

They have said that he groped them in front of their colleagues at events such as the Logies and Christmas parties, but they did not report it for fear the complaint would ruin their careers.

Many have also alleged that Wick led a toxic culture in the newsroom in which he would freeze people out, play favourites and pit people against each other. There was widespread anger among staff that Wick was given a payout when he left.

Sneesby addressed the Nine newsroom on Monday and promised an independent review of newsroom culture. He said the review would be handled by an external firm and would provide advice on how things could be done better in future.

Darren Wick left Nine in March. Credit: Nine News

Sneesby also said the “alleged serious failings of leadership in television news clearly tells me more work needs to be done to ensure we have a safe and inclusive workplace throughout Nine”.

He said he was aware it had been a tough time for many staff and acknowledged the distress and frustration the widespread media reporting had caused. Nine needed to do more to create a safe and inclusive culture, Sneesby said.

He also said he had “never signed” non-disclosure agreements relating to a “complaint or behavioural issue” at Nine, including over Wick’s alleged behaviour. He did not say whether Nine had issued any NDAs signed by other executives.

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