After being accused of drunken misconduct, Teneo CEO was expelled from the charity

Declan Kelly, an influential adviser to Fortune 500 executives, lost his seat on the board of the campaign organization Global Citizen on allegations of drunken misconduct at a fundraising concert and gave up his role as Part of the responsibilities of the head of Teneo, a strategic company.

Five people with knowledge of the matter said that Kelly had misbehaved at a party related to a high-profile concert held by Global Citizen on May 2. It is chaired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and invited artists such as Jennifer Lopez.

Two of them and a person with direct knowledge of the matter claimed that the misconduct included touching multiple women without consent.

A spokesperson for Kelly said: “In the evening, at a large cocktail party attended by dozens of people including members of the Global Citizenship Board and guests, Mr. Kelly was drunk and treated some women and men improperly “,” he added, he “deeply regretted his actions” and apologized to those he offended.

According to two people familiar with the matter, Global Citizen removed him from the board the next day, while another person said that Kelly was asked to resign. Global Citizen has launched an independent investigation into the incident, but has not yet reached a conclusion.

In response to a statement from the Financial Times on whether Kelly improperly contacted women in his activities, Global Citizen said: “On May 3, Global Citizen received notice of the incident. On May 3, Declan · Kelly was removed from the board of directors…”

The organization’s board of directors is chaired by Christopher Stadler, an executive of CVC Capital Partners, who has led the private equity firm’s Invest 350 million US dollars in Teneo In 2019. The deal gave it a majority stake and valued Teneo at $700 million.

This incident has raised doubts about Teneo’s future. The public relations firm with 1,200 people led by Kelly calls itself “the world’s leading CEO consulting company.”

Kelly is still chairman and chief executive officer, but has told senior colleagues in the company that he has delegated some of his responsibilities to others on the global management committee.

His spokesperson stated that he “temporarily reduced his job responsibilities,” “committed to staying awake,” and “is receiving continuous consultation from healthcare professionals.”

Kelly, who has been cooperating with Global Citizen for many years, is the organizer of this event Wax Live: A concert to reunite the world, aiming to garner support for the wider distribution of Covid-19 vaccine.

The event features information from public figures including Pope Francis and US President Joe Biden.

Artists from Lopez to Selena Gomez conducted red carpet interviews in front of the background with the logo of Teneo and several of its clients (including Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines).

Kelly is known for providing advice to some of the world’s largest companies on how to position themselves as responsible social actors.

“It is now very clear that unless you connect your goals and values ​​with all stakeholders and the wider world, you will be left behind,” he said in a statement. Promo As a global citizen in February.

Kelly was appointed by Hillary Clinton as the special economic envoy of the US State Department to Northern Ireland in 2009, using his political and corporate connections to support fundraising concerts for global citizens.

Six months after his co-founder, his role in Teneo has changed. Doug BandAfter an article detailing the breakdown of his relationship with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, he resigned as president of the company. He helped initiate the Clinton Global Initiative.

Kelly and Bender founded the company in 2011. Since then, they have actively expanded through a series of transactions. In March they invested in WestExec Advisors, a Washington geopolitical risk consulting firm, and completed the acquisition of Deloitte’s UK restructuring services business earlier this month. .

Emphasizing Teneo’s influence in business and politics, its roster senior consultant Including the former CEOs of Dow Chemical, IBM and Xerox, as well as Paul Ryan, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, and William Hague, the former leader of the British Conservative Party.

Amber Rudd, the former Secretary of State for the Interior of the United Kingdom, joined as a senior adviser last year.

Before founding Teneo, Kelly held a number of communications positions, including at FTI Consulting. After FTI Consulting acquired a public relations company, Financial Dynamics, he served as an executive, where he was a member of the company’s management team.

In April, Kelly co-founded a new investment company called Integrum Holdings, which was described as an innovative, mission-driven company focused on “technical support services.”