Former PwC boss and Carlton chair Luke Sayers embroiled in nude photo “hack”
The former PwC boss and Carlton Blues president has deactivated his X account, claiming it was hacked after a nude photo was posted.
Carlton Football Club boss and consulting sector heavyweight Luke Sayers has warned he will leave no stone unturned as the Melbourne figure unravels how an image of a naked man came to be posted on his social media account, in a tweet addressed to a senior female executive and club sponsor.
The post on Mr Sayers X — formerly known as Twitter — account showed a nude man and an exposed penis, reclining on a bed, tagging the account of a top executive at healthcare firm Bupa.
The female executive, who does not appear to have used X since 2017, does not follow Mr Sayers on the platform.
The woman, who The Australian has chosen not to name, is understood to be shocked about the intimate post.
The image was on Mr Sayers X for almost 13 minutes before the Carlton boss addressed the matter, telling followers his social media account had been allegedly hacked.
“Sorry my account has been hacked — please ignore all posts,” he said.
A spokesman for Mr Sayers said his X account had been hacked and had been temporarily deactivated.
If the image of the named man was Mr Sayers any hacker could face up to three years in prison.
However, if the image was not of Mr Sayers, grounds for punishment are unclear.
Forensic investigations sources contacted by The Australian said investigating the post could be a simple matter for Mr Sayers, noting the X platform had the capability to investigate where a tweet had been sent from and the IP address of the device used.
The eSafety Commissioner’s office was unable to confirm whether Mr Sayers had reported the incident, adding it did not comment on individual cases.
The latest incident surrounding the Carlton club boss and former chief executive of PwC Australia comes as Mr Sayers remains on holiday in Italy’s picturesque Lake Como.
The image was posted around 8am Italy time.
The female executive, the subject of the allegedly hacked tweet, is the head of marketing at a major Carlton sponsor and has appeared at a number of club events.
Under Mr Sayers Carlton has advanced a number of female-focused initiatives including joining the AFL Women’s league as an inaugural team.
Mr Sayers joined the board of Carlton in 2012, taking on the president’s role in August 2021.
Several members of Carlton’s board contacted by The Australian declined to comment or offer support for Mr Sayers, with one referring to a statement issued by Carlton.
However, Carlton has not issued a statement, with a spokesman for the club only noting Mr Sayers himself had addressed the matter.
The club’s board boasts big names, including J.P Morgan Australia chair Robert Priestley, who declined to comment, alongside communications strategist Lahra Carey, who stated she did not wish to comment on the matter.
Alongside Mr Sayers on the board is domestic violence charity Our Watch boss Patty Kinnersly as well as frequent flyer female director Helen Kurincic and former footballer Greg Williams.
Mr Sayers, the Carlton president, was reappointed to run the club in February last year, has been under fire over his former employer, PwC Australia, and its links to sharing confidential tax information.
Mr Sayers ran PwC between 2012 and 2020.
The firm’s former head of international tax Peter Collins was found to have shared confidential tax information, taken from private consulting sessions with Treasury, with others in the firm.
Senior public servants have alleged they tried to warn Mr Sayers, with fellow former members of the firm also alleging they alerted the former PwC CEO to the alleged misconduct.
However, Mr Sayers denies he was aware of the matter.
He has since gone on to run his own consulting firm Sayers Group, as well as taking on the president role of Carlton football club in August 2021.
Mr Sayers received Order of Australia recognition in 2019 for his services to people with a disability and members of the community.
The father of four, married to high-profile charity campaigner Cate Sayers, sold his palatial East Hawthorn home in November last year in a deal expected to net almost $10m in excess of what he first paid for it.
Mr Sayers and his consulting firm Sayers Group have prospered from the broader troubles in the consulting sector, continuing to win contracts with state and federal governments.
A former Deloitte partner Amberjit Endow, who allegedly ran a multimillion-dollar fraud while working at Deloitte, went on to work at Sayers Group in April 2021 before leaving the firm after six months.
Deloitte chief executive Adam Powick has revealed he invested money in the scheme run by Mr Endow.
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