Super Retail sacks CEO after more details of HR affair allegations
Retail giant’s CEO Anthony Heraghty has been dramatically sacked after fresh revelations about his alleged affair, which the company spent 16 months denying.
Super Retail Group has sacked chief executive Anthony Heraghty after it discovered more information about an alleged affair he had with his former head of human resources, Jane Kelly, leading the board to conclude his story was “not satisfactory”.
The company behind Supercheap Auto and BCF stopped short of confirming the alleged romance between its ousted CEO and Ms Kelly, but stated that it had recieved “new information from Mr Heraghty regarding his relationship” with the company’s former HR boss. Up until Tuesday’s statement, Super Retail had defended itself, Mr Heraghty, and Ms Kelly for 16 months from any suggestion of impropriety after two whistleblowers alleged the contested affair created a culture of fear and toxicity.
It is believed the decision was made over the weekend to dismiss Mr Heraghty and terminate between $1.5m and $8.7m in bonuses and incentive payments in a swift coup following subpoenas being dispatched to unnamed Super Retail executives and witnesses late last week.
Mr Heraghty did not respond to calls on Tuesday. A spokesman for Super Retail declined to confirm the size of the bonuses and other payments Mr Heraghty had now lost.
The Federal Court case brought by sacked company lawyers turned whistleblowers Rebecca Farrell and Amelia Berczelly is scheduled to be heard in February. Their legal counsel, Harmers Workplace Lawyers, declined to comment.
Shares in Super Retail sank 74c to $16.52.
The company has incurred millions in legal fees defending the action with the 2025 annual report booking an expense of $11.3m for “legal, professional fees and expenses related to regulatory and litigation matters.”
It also invites questions over former Super Retail chairwoman Sally Pitkin, who left the company after its 2024 AGM, and her handling of the internal inquiry.
She commissioned an investigation that found no substance to any of the whistleblowers’s claims - including an illicit affair - and gave the Super Retail board the confidence to defend its CEO. Ms Kelly had left the business by then.
It is believed, for example, that at no time did Ms Pitkin directly ask Mr Heraghty to submit his mobile phone or personal emails, despite it being claimed in a court document that in 2023, Mr Heraghty’s then wife allegedly discovered evidence of an affair on his mobile phone and told his personal assistant. A spokeswoman for Ms Pitkin said she would not be commenting at this time.
New chair Judith Swales strenuously defended Mr Heraghty too.
The workplace crisis erupted in April last year when the former chief legal officer Ms Farrell, and co-company secretary Ms Berczelly, accused Ms Kelly and Mr Heraghty of misusing the travel budget to further their alleged relationship. This poisoned the culture inside Super Retail, they alleged, and led to bullying behaviour and a fear of speaking out.
The matter returns to court on September 24.
It is unclear what changed between Super Retail and Mr Heraghty, who is divorced.
“Super Retail Group advises it has terminated the employment of group managing director and chief executive officer Anthony Heraghty with immediate effect. The board made this decision after receiving new information from Mr Heraghty regarding his relationship with the company’s former chief human resources officer,” the ASX statement on Tuesday said.
“In light of this new information, the board has concluded Mr Heraghty’s prior disclosures were not satisfactory. The board will carefully consider the implications this may have for the company and any related matters.”
Super Retail chief financial officer David Burns has been appointed interim CEO while the company undertakes a search for Mr Heraghty’s replacement.
A spokesman for Super Retail had no further comment.
Analysts had anticipated that Super Retail would host an investor day later this year to update the market with a refreshed longer-term strategy.
“We would expect this will still occur,” said E&P analyst Kade Madigan, “however the timing will now be dependent upon the appointment of a new long-term CEO.”
There had long been suspicions of a clandestine sexual relationship inside the workplace, according to the court documents lodged as part of the case. In the company’s defence, it said that Ms Farrell allegedly confided to Ms Kelly that she did not believe the office rumour.
Harmers countered this by issuing a statement saying at the time of the conversation, its client did not yet have sufficient evidence to rely on. That apparently came a month later.
Ms Farrell, Ms Berczelly and the company were in mediation meetings before Justice Michael Lee.
One of the key allegations made by the applicants is that Ms Berczelly observed Mr Heraghty and Ms Kelly enter the lobby of Brisbane hotel The Calile together in June 2023.
“Heraghty and Kelly had acted in a manner that was very suspicious and suggestive that they were engaged in an intimate or personal relationship that had not been disclosed to the board,” the court filings alleged.
Another leader, who is identified as BCF managing director Paul Bradshaw, allegedly witnessed Mr Heraghty resting his hand on Ms Kelly’s thigh, the same documents claim, during an off-site leadership meeting in August 2022 on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Super Retail denied this ever happened.
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