It’s party time at Colliers International
A raunchy video starring one of his employees is about the last thing Colliers International boss John Kenny needs as his real estate services business deals with a spectacular sexual harassment case.
Especially as it appears to include a cameo by chief financial officer Sean Unwin — the same guy who is being sued by his former executive assistant Alexandra Marks.
The video is a highlights reel of the “flirty thirty” themed party thrown by Colliers agent “Huddo”.
The extra-curricular production was uploaded last year.
It seems in pockets of the property industry not only are the birthdays lascivious — they are taped and posted online for later enjoyment.
The clip was fast becoming a collector’s item among the property industry until it was removed after our phone calls to the company yesterday.
One of Unwin’s alleged trespasses — alongside forcing Marks’s head down to his crotch and offering to arrange for her to have sex with another colleague — was the removal of his clothes in the presence of his female assistant as he changed into a party outfit.
And to go by the video, Unwin isn’t the only person at Colliers who is a fan of dressing up.
The video includes scantily clad attendees at the Colliers employees party mimicking a wide spread of oral sex techniques, including the fellatio of a toy machinegun.
“It’s clearly not a great look,” one employee told us.
And is that Unwin in costume and dancing at the 39-second mark? Colliers declined to confirm.
Before Sex Discrimination Commissioner Paul Edwards works himself into a fit, some uplifting news.
Colliers is a paid-up member of the Property Male Champions of Change gender equality program.
Since the sexual harassment case was lodged, the company has been in correspondence with the Male Champions of Change to ask for support.
Those Champions include Colliers’ Kenny, Scentre’s Peter Allen, Stockland’s Mark Steinert, Vicinity’s Angus McNaughton, and is convened by Stockland director Carol Schwartz, the same lady Edwards enlisted into his “sexism” Twitter attack on former Bell Potter employee Angus Aitken. Schwartz to the rescue again.
Kiwis take flight
The most complicated board in corporate Australia looks to have become even knottier after Air New Zealand boss Christopher Luxon found a Chinese buyer for its 19.9 per cent stake in John Borghetti’s Virgin Australia.
Chinese conglomerate Nanshan will pay around $262 million to join a register that includes Singapore Airlines, James Hogan’s Etihad Airways, Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and fellow Chinese group HNA.
It looks like Luxon negotiated a good deal in the circumstances.
All signs are that Nanshan — which signed the deal in Auckland in the early hours of yesterday morning — will soon get a seat on chair Elizabeth Bryan’s board, assuming the Chinese get the required regulatory approval.
It will be fascinating to watch how the newbies get along with the others — particularly Goh Choon Phong’s Singapore Airlines and HNA.
And now with the stake almost offloaded, how long till Luxon goes public about what happened in that infamous board meeting three months ago, when he tried to roll Borghetti? The Kiwi’s track record suggests we won’t be waiting too long to hear his unvarnished thoughts on Borghetti’s strategy.
Slip of the tongue
If not for a Freudian slip by Baird minister David Elliott, a fundraiser held at Biviano’s Italian Restaurant in Dural, in Sydney’s northwest, on Thursday night would be forgotten already.
Minister for Corrections Elliott said everyone present was looking forward to Peter Dutton (the night’s drawcard) being part of the government that forms on July 3, “when Tony Abbott returns …” Whoops. The room erupted in laughter.
“Don’t leak to the press anyone!” Elliott pleaded.
And with that, his fate was sealed.
By invitation only
Our apologies for leaving one off our list of Liberal Party fundraisers held in Sydney on “Super Wednesday” this week.
The night before setting off the Gold Party for the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Aussie John Symond hosted a Liberal fundraiser at his $50m Point Piper mansion.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, her partner David Panton and Premier Mike Baird were also along at the dinner, as were 20-odd guests who had paid $3000-$5000 a head.
High life
Fund manager couple Charlie and Ellie Aitkenwere along at the 10th anniversary American Australian Association dinner at Sydney’s Westin on Thursday night, as were their friends Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (her again) and her partner David Panton (him again).
Assisting the escorting duties for the Foreign Minister was Dragoman boss Tom Harley, who continues to enjoy life after Tony Abbott.
ASIC boss Greg Medcraft seized the opportunity to get in the ear of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. What more could the tough cop on the beat possibly want?
The packed room fawned over the two most loved Liberals in the land: Mike Baird (him again) and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Howard. Recently valued at $5.4 billion, property billionaire John Gandel was the richest guest present to see Howard and Boral boss Mike Kane be honoured on the association’s 10th anniversary dinner.
Gold Glitter
They arrived dripping in gold, diamonds and pearls. If there was one occasion where the ladies could show off their couture gowns, this was it.
This is Sydney’s marquee fund-raising gala dinner for Sydney Children’s Hospital and tickets cost $1500 each. In grand style, the historic Royal Hall of Industries was transformed into an arcadian idyll decorated with 500 trees and there were orchids everyday.
The 400 guests were entertained by the young cast of Matilda which set the tone of the evening. As well as Symond with wife Amber, Financier Tim Odillo Maher and partner Victoria Montano who are the new owners of a Darling Point mansion which they bought from fund manager Charlie Aitken and wife Ellie for a cool $10 million.
Other guests included Merivale owner Justin Hemmes who was accompanied by partner Kate Fowler, car importer and keen yachtsman Neville Crichton with Nadi Hasandedic, chairman of REA Group Hamish McLennan and wife Lucinda chatted with Macquarie banker Tim Bishop and wife Stacey who was dressed in a stunning Swarovski diamond encrusted, figure-hugging gown.
Morgan Stanley head of investment banking Richard Wagner and were in a party mood as they caught up with Telstra’s Kevin Russell and wife Deb. Guests dug deep and raised over $1.6 million for the Children’s Hospital.
Packed house
The resilience of Roxy Jacenko, the wife of insider trader Oliver Curtis, appears to be paying off.
After her fashionable supporting role during her hubby’s recent trial, the PR maestro has managed to almost sell out her seminar on social media — the one scheduled for the same day Curtis will be sentenced next week.
Jacenko has flogged all but a handful of the 750 seats for the almost $200-a-pop event at the Shangri-La.
Not bad at about $150,000 before costs.
In less promising news, Jacenko’s publisher Allen & Unwin says there are no more novels in the tank following her three-book fiction deal.
Meanwhile television insiders say there is limited prospect of the businesswoman selling her story.
At least one relatively cashed-up free-to-air network has told us they won’t bid for the yarn, while Hugh Marks’ Nine (which featured Jacenko as a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice in 2013) has enough on its plate sorting out the 60 Minutes Beirut scandal.
Moving to the other side of the Nullarbor and Curtis’s former best friend John Hartman, who now lives in Perth and works for Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Group.
A picture we showed you of the professionally reincarnated Hartman yesterday mistakenly named Minderoo’s highly capable COO Felicity Gooding as Hartman’s wife.
While the caption went down a treat in Twiggy’s office — with Hartman copping much stick from his colleagues — we confess that the brunette Gooding looks nothing like Hartman’s wife Alice, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child. Forgive us. And enjoy your long weekend.
Additional reporting: Theresa Ooi
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