Country Road boss Raju Vuppalapati in line of corporate fire as staff bay for blood

Raju Vuppalapati previously headed up bushman’s outfitter RM Williams. Picture: John Feder

It took two weeks and a bruising grilling from US politicians before the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, did the honourable thing and resigned her position in the wake of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump that came within a whisker of killing him.

It was a signal, although reluctantly made and late, that she bore ultimate responsibility for what had occurred, which was the worst failure of security around the president of the US since the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in 1981.

It happened on her watch, she was responsible and paid a big price.

Leaders of the corporate world walk a similar precarious high wire as they run companies on behalf of their shareholders or private owners and also have the charge of care and responsibility for employees.

In the case of Country Road Group, that heavy responsibility is carried by its CEO, Raju Vuppalapati, brought over from country outfitter RM Williams by South Africa’s Woolworths Holdings, owner of Country Road Group.

But under Vuppalapati’s watch there has been a series of workplace scandals around bullying and sexual harassment, collapsing staff morale and the loss of a key and highly respected female executive – Country Road manager Elle Roseby – as the scandals take a toll on staff.

Speculation and reports of Country Road Group executives also squeezing suppliers for kickbacks has also surfaced.

The corporate mess is partly of Vuppalapati’s making, with two executives poached by him from RM Williams – and former colleagues – leaving Country Road Group under a cloud following a large amount of workplace complaints from staff.

Staff at Country Road Group had looked to Vuppalapati for guidance, protection and most of all leadership, but had felt let down.

That disappointment in their CEO quickly led to white-hot rage when, following an investigation into the mishandling of the workplace complaints, Vuppalapati was left in his role and reportedly not handed any penalties, such as a dent in his pay or threat to any bonuses he might be eligible for.

Staff were also upset when it emerged that Vuppalapati’s daughter had been given a job at Country Road Group, as had a family friend.

If Country Road Group was still an ASX-listed company, as it was many years ago, the pressure from public shareholders would have been immense and irresistible and he would have been forced to resign. Indeed, public company CEOs have fallen on their swords for much lesser reasons.

Now with a looming restructure and potential job losses, it remains to be seen if Woolworths Holdings will use this as an excuse to quietly prod Vuppalapati out of the building.