fb

It doesn’t make a good photo if you’re fired does it?

30 years ago he joined the British subsidiary of Olympus, the Japanese camera and optical giant, as a salesman. He slowly worked his way up through the ranks of the company until last month he became the first western CEO of the Olympus group.

Unfortunately for Mr Michael Woodford his new position lasted for only 2 weeks before he was fired from his position as CEO and according to media reports was told by the Olympus board to “get a bus to the airport”.

A western CEO of a Japanese company is extremely rare and a CEO being fired after only 2 weeks is probably even rarer.

According to the Olympus board, Mr Woodford was fired for “causing problems for decision-making”.

Mr Woodford didn’t hold back from giving his version of the story and he claimed that he was fired for in effect being a high level “whistle blower”.

After his appointment as CEO he started asking questions about payments Olympus had made to financial advisers for Olympus’s acquisition of Gyrus, a British medical equipment company, for $2bn.

The interesting thing was that advisory fees of nearly $700m were paid to a Cayman Islands registered company called AXAM whose owners were not identified by Olympus.

The really interesting thing though was that the advisory fees paid were equal to nearly 33% of the total acquisition price. This figure of 33% seems a tad high when compared to the industry average for such acquisitions of between 1% and 5%.

The really, really interesting thing though was that AXAM disappeared from the trade register 3 months after receiving their final payment from Olympus.

Now, I’m not a detective but there are some fairly chunky corporate governance issues in this one and a payment of $700m to an “anonymous” Cayman Islands company which has since disappeared probably does warrant a bit of a debate to say the least.

Mr Woodford won’t be involved in those debates though as his position as CEO was abruptly ended after 2 weeks.

The Olympus share price fell nearly 50% in the days immediately after the announcements.

Olympus has denied any wrongdoing.

Share this entry

Recent articles

View All Articles
Professionally qualified in one year – DipIFR
Mar 22, 2024
Title
Professionally qualified in one year – DipIFR
Excerpt

Unlocking Opportunities with DipIFR Introduction In the second installment of our series, we shift our focus to the […]

Professionally qualified in one year – CMA (USA)
Mar 21, 2024
Title
Professionally qualified in one year – CMA (USA)
Excerpt

Accelerate Your Career with CMA Certification Series Introduction In our fast-paced world, the demand for highly skilled professionals […]

Lego – building strategy blocks…
Mar 14, 2024
Title
Lego – building strategy blocks…
Excerpt

In the contemporary business environment, characterised by rapid changes and unforeseen challenges, companies across various industries must adapt […]

Weathering the chocolate storm?
Mar 12, 2024
Title
Weathering the chocolate storm?
Excerpt

In today’s interconnected global economy, the ripple effects of local weather phenomena can have far-reaching consequences, extending far […]

Pass the doughnuts…
Mar 12, 2024
Title
Pass the doughnuts…
Excerpt

Does your weight affect the amount of money you earn? That’s an interesting question and researchers from the […]

The Significance of Audit Quality: Lessons from KPMG’s Fines
Mar 06, 2024
Title
The Significance of Audit Quality: Lessons from KPMG’s Fines
Excerpt

In the intricate world of finance and business, the accuracy and integrity of a company’s financial statements stand […]

Insider Trading: A Cautionary Tale from the Oil Industry
Feb 29, 2024
Title
Insider Trading: A Cautionary Tale from the Oil Industry
Excerpt

In the complex world of finance, insider trading remains one of the most controversial and closely watched issues. […]

Lessons from Kraft Heinz’s Sales Decline
Feb 20, 2024
Title
Lessons from Kraft Heinz’s Sales Decline
Excerpt

In the fast-paced world of business, staying ahead of market trends and consumer preferences is paramount. The recent […]