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Sony Music Australia | CEO's ousting over 'boys' club' culture brings to light leadership warning

CEO's ousting over 'boys' club' culture brings to light leadership warning
CEO's ousting over 'boys' club' culture brings to light leadership warning

For some, the image that springs to mind when discussing executive culture is that of a sharply dressed Don Draper from Mad Men, sitting behind a large oak desk, fine whiskey and crystal tumblers at arm’s reach. And whilst once, this was indeed at least a parody of executive culture, the days of what many might describe as a ‘boys club’ culture are firmly behind us, right?

Well in fact, not as much as one might hope. In a pre-COVID survey of 1,500 working women, InHerSight found that 54.1% say that they have worked at a company with a culture that they’d characterise as a ‘boys‘ club’. As a result, 35% believe that they’ve missed out on an opportunity due to not being invited to out-of-work drinks or events, and 36.5% even believe that they’ve specifically missed out on a promotion due to their gender.

Sony Music & allegations of toxic leadership culture

And for those wondering how such a culture could still exist in the modern workplace, a prime case to examine is that of the recently-ousted Sony Music Australia CEO Denis Handlin. Handlin’s 50-year tenure at Sony Music Australia made him Sony’s longest-serving employee worldwide. He became Chief Executive in 1984 and was instated as Chairman in 1996.

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