Colliers in crisis as exec arrested and charged over alleged financial misconduct

Colliers chief executive Malcom Tyson describes the allegations as ‘serious financial misconduct’.

Global real estate firm Colliers International is managing yet another scandal in its ranks after police arrested and charged long-serving executive Dan Walker in recent days, with CEO Malcom Tyson describing the allegations as “serious financial misconduct” in an all-staff email obtained by Margin Call.

Tyson sent the note to keep colleagues abreast of developments with Walker and his sudden departure. He wasn’t named in the missive, but Tyson said police were notified of the alleged behaviour and an arrest soon followed.

“Clients who had direct interactions with the former employee were contacted and assured that there would be no financial impact to them,” the email said.

Walker was Collier International’s Director of Office Leasing, based in North Sydney, and seemed to moonlight as the co-founder of a Bondi Beach hairdressing business.

While the specifics aren’t clear, Tyson alleged that it “related to actions in breach of laws governing property professionals and Colliers’ corporate policies”.

Needless to say a “comprehensive review” has been ordered at the company, although it’s probably not the first time that’s been necessary, knowing Colliers’ history.

NSW Police confirmed that Walker, aged 36, had been picked up at Newtown on May 17, was charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and was granted bail to appear at Manly Local Court on July 6.

Until this latest inconvenience the firm had remained basically scandal-free since 2016, when it signed off a confidential (and “amicable”) settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against its former CFO.

Julie Bishop’s next move

A rumour doing the rounds in Canberra of late is that Julie Bishop, the nation’s former foreign minister, might be in contention for an ambassadorial appointment to Paris. Anthony Albanese denied it using a single, curt syllable last month; he did the same when rumours emerged in the lead-up to the 2022 election that Kevin Rudd would be appointed US ambassador. Albanese dismissed that as “complete nonsense” and Rudd was duly appointed to the role about eight months later.

Julie Bishop. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

Bishop was good-humoured in her denial when the posting was put to her by Margin Call in recent days, and what better way for her to try bury the claim than by purchasing a $2.85m home by the sea in Cottesloe?

Currently the chancellor of the Australian National University, Bishop bought the townhouse in April and settled in May with the assistance of the National Australia Bank. It seems she didn’t need to sell her Swan River waterfront apartment in Crawley to do so; it’s located on the other side of the Curtin electorate that she represented for more than 20 years (and is now held by independent Kate Chaney).

Prolific via text, Bishop declined to respond when we pressed her for comment.

PwC targets journos

It’s not only the PwC partners and former partners lawyering-up. As we reported on Thursday, PwC itself has engaged King & Wood Mallesons but we neglected to mention Clayton Utz and, weirdly, Johnson Winter Slattery, whose people have been put on standby to chase defamation action against journalists. Priorities, right?

Margin Call hears that JWS partner and media law specialist Kevin Lynch is combing through reporting of the PwC hellfire and pursuing scribes deemed to be besmirching the good reputation of its former CEO and partners, a Sisyphean task if we’ve ever heard of it.

Ironic, too, given that some former partners are considering their own defamation action against PwC for its loose language in staff correspondence. That’s after their names were released in an workforce-wide email sent by acting CEO Kristin Stubbins. It contained some rather strong accusatory language and barely a mention of everyone’s favourite safe-word, “alleged”.

No Stone unturned

Directionless, rudderless and nearly state director-less is the NSW Liberal Party for the present moment. That’s after faceless man Chris Stone announced his resignation in the days following the March election loss (although he remains signed on to conduct the transition).

Former NSW Liberal Party state director Chris Stone. Picture: Lee Hamilton.

Liberals always seemed to pride themselves on keeping Stone a great secret from the public, which explains why barely anything has been written about his departure since. Compare that with Labor, whose general secretaries – Sam Dastyari, Jamie Clements, Kaila Murnain, to name a few – all went on to become buglights for sensation and infamy.

Nominations to fill Stone’s vacant spot are scheduled to open soon, with several candidates already clamouring for one of the most thankless roles in NSW politics.

Former Gladys Berejiklian adviser Jerome Boutelet is lining up support, and we hear Mark Speakman staffer (and former Turnbull government adviser) Luke Nayna is in the mix, as is Liberal Party deputy federal director Simon Berger, and former Victorian Liberal deputy state director Tony Barry, a man who famously said the Victorian Liberal Party “is where hope goes to die”.