Governance advisers in controls case

A corporate governance advisory group is being sued for £150,000 by an
ex-employee accusing it of failing in its corporate governance.

Protiviti, which rose from the ashes of Andersen’s risk consultancy business,
is facing the embarrassing claim from Sandra Millar, who alleges she was sacked
for blowing the whistle on the firm’s failings.

Millar, formerly associate director at Protiviti, alleges the firm failed to
provide new staff with health and safety training, that offices were overcrowded
and workstations badly designed.

Male counterparts were hired with less experience than her for higher-grade
roles, she said.

Protiviti is an internal audit and risk management expert, which says on its
own US website pitch that ‘today’s regulator environment and closely monitored
markets mandate strong corporate governance.’

‘I noticed immediately that [Protiviti’s] corporate governance processes were
minimal or non-existent,’ Millar said in papers submitted to an employment
tribunal.

Protiviti was formed from Andersen US’ risk and internal audit division in
2002, and now employs 2,900 across the world.

In a pre-hearing review Millar failed to gain payment of her salary by
Protiviti prior to a full tribunal, which is scheduled to take place in October
at the Central London Employment Tribunal.

A Protiviti statement said: ‘We take these allegations very seriously, and
categorically deny any wrongdoing. Ms Millar has had her application for interim
relief rejected, and we will continue to contest her claim.’