Former Tesco chairman, John Allan, has been backed by 11 city figures following allegations of misconduct towards four female employees.
A letter has been signed by each of the individuals supporting Allan, which states he has been “publicly traduced” by the accusations that he was inappropriate with four women at CBI and Tesco events, The Times reported.
Signatories include ex-John Lewis executive director Pippa Wicks and Boots chief executive Seb James who agree that the “allegations… do not reflect the character of the man we know”.
Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that Allan allegedly touched the bottom of a senior member of Tesco staff at the grocer’s annual general meeting in June 2022, and a staff member at the CBI made a similar claim at its annual dinner in May 2019.
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Two other female CBI staff members alleged that Allan made inappropriate remarks in 2021 and in 2019.
Allan has denied three of the allegations, but admits to a claim regarding a comment he made about a CBI employees appearance in 2019, which she found to be offensive.
The letter said: “According to the media, John complimented a woman on her dress, then immediately apologised. This is true. Three further claims are anonymous, unsubstantiated and vehemently denied.
“None of the organisations related to these three further claims which John represented at the time have received complaints against him, formal or informal. Yet, despite this lack of evidence, John has been widely, publicly traduced.”
Allan will officially be leaving the role at the leading retailer, which he has held for eight years, on 16 June, since the allegations “risk becoming a distraction to Tesco”.
Last week, Allan hired media law firm Schillings as he is considering suing The Guardian, which originally reported the claims in early May.
