Eyebrows raised at Deloitte over partners’ relationship, assault

‘There is no doubt questions are being asked,’ said one staffer after an ex-girlfriend attacked a senior partner after allegedly finding him in bed with a co-worker.

Rohan Hammett pictured at Manly Court. Picture Sam Ruttyn

Deloitte will launch an internal investigation into an unseemly relationship between two of its senior partners – after an ex-girlfriend attacked one and alleged the other was hiding in the closet.

Sarah Su, 22, attacked Deloitte’s Asia Pacific healthcare sector leader, 56-year-old Rohan Hammett, after entering his home and finding him in bed with his colleague, Deloitte’s healthcare sector leader Stephanie Allen.

“There is no doubt questions are being asked,” said one Deloitte staffer on Monday, adding that it was not the kind of publicity a prestige management consulting firm usually seeks.

It’s a bizarre case that had rival management consultants scratching their heads as to why Dr Hammett would have wanted charges pressed, given the damage it could do to his reputation.

However, Dr Hammett’s lawyer, Paul McGirr, said Miss Su was the one who called the police in the first place and that Dr Hammett had no say over whether they would press charges. “He was the victim,” he said. “He had no say on whether it would go ahead.”

The allegations were first reported by The Daily Telegraph.

Deloitte is the largest professional services firm by revenue globally and ranks second in Australia behind PwC. That’s where both Deloitte partners involved in the fracas used to work.

Among major Deloitte projects that Dr Hammett and Dr Allen both worked on was the South Australian government’s flagship Transforming Health plan. That project, which netted millions of dollars in consulting fees, targeted cost savings of $192.1m in 2016-2017. The South Australian auditor-general found that it had actually cost $17.2m.

The alleged assault occurred in November 2021, and those close to Ms Su claim Dr Allen hid from the police. However, the fact that Dr Allen was indeed also at his home at the time was revealed in court before it was closed to the public.

Dr Hammett told police that Miss Su, “scared the living daylights out of me”, when she let herself into his beachside home, turned on his bedroom lights and then started screaming when she said spotted ­another woman in his bed, Manly Local Court heard last week, according to The Telegraph.

Dr Hammett, who has previously been married and has children, had been romantically involved with Ms Su for about 18 months, the court heard.

Deloitte declined to comment on whether Ms Su attended client functions with Dr Hammett or whether it was aware of his relationship with Dr Allen, who leads the team he works with.

Deloitte has a policy on intra-office work relationships but would not reveal what it was. It is unclear whether Dr Hammett has a direct reporting line to Dr Allen.

Before being a management consultant, Dr Hammett was the former boss of Therapeutic Goods Administration and senior executive for NSW Health.

The incident between Ms Su and Dr Hammett occurred at Dr Hammett’s home on Sydney’s northern beaches, and resulted in police charging Ms Su with common assault. She was found guilty of assault, but with no criminal conviction. As court was closed, no reasons were made public.