Chelsea says executive accused of bullying has left club

Nearly a year after one of England’s richest and most decorated football teams opened an investigation into a senior executive accused of workplace bullying so serious that several staff said colleagues had taken mental health leave to escape it, confirmed the team, Chelsea FC, that the executive has left the club.

The allegations against the director, former Chelsea marketing director Gary Twelvetree, were outlined in a report in The New York Times last June that detailed growing concerns about a toxic work culture within the department he led. The Times article was based on interviews with nearly a dozen Chelsea staff who described how being humiliated and berated in front of colleagues had become commonplace in the club’s marketing department.

Chelsea declined to comment on any aspect of the investigation, but did confirm that Twelvetree was no longer with the club. Twelvetree did not respond to phone and text messages asking for comment.

He had not returned to the team’s offices at Stamford Bridge stadium since the allegations against him surfaced in the Times article, team officials said, but remained on payroll for months until his departure. Several staff members said the team’s failure to inform them of the investigation’s findings had only led to further frustration within the club.

The pressures of working under Twelvetree’s leadership led to several employees quitting their jobs. Others took sick leave that in some cases lasted for months. Several staff came forward following the death in January 2022 of a former beloved member of the department, Richard Bignell, who committed suicide after being forced out of Chelsea.

While suicide is a complicated issue and it is not known if other factors played a role, Bignell’s death left many of his former colleagues dumbfounded. Speaking to relatives at a memorial service for him early last year, a group of them said they were convinced Bignell, the married father of 8-year-old twin daughters, had died as a result of events in Chelsea. A coroner’s report seemed to agree, stating after Bignell’s death that he was “deeply wracked with anxiety, depression and despair following the loss of his job”.

Months after his death, Chelsea under new ownership, with an American-led group taking over the club from its longtime owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. In July, the new owners said the club would launch an investigation into the allegations, led by outside lawyers, to get a clearer picture of how the marketing department of one of the world’s best-known sports teams had become so dysfunctional and scarred by dissatisfaction, intimidation and fear.

“The club’s new board believes strongly in a working environment and corporate culture that empowers its employees and makes them feel safe, involved, valued and trusted,” the club said at the time. No replacement for Twelvetree was named, and in his absence the marketing operation was run by consultants from Viral Nation, a company in which Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly invests.

It’s unclear how many people were interviewed by researchers investigating the workplace claims, or how those people were selected. Interviews began shortly after the club issued its statement in July and continued for several months. Some former staff members told The Times to contact the club to ask to be included as part of the process. Others were contacted directly.

A former club executive said she spoke to a lawyer last September and was “given a chance to say what I had to say” without being steered in any particular direction.

She declined to be identified due to concerns about future employment in the football industry. And while she said she was happy to hear there was a resolution to the matter, she also noted that previous management had missed several opportunities to rectify the situation.

After several complaints from staff in the marketing department, for example, Chelsea’s former leadership hired outside consultants to conduct a “cultural evaluation” of workplace practices. But the review would be led by Twelvetree, to whom many of the complaints were directed. That decision infuriated many former employees, and several people who contributed to the months-long process said it was unclear if it was ever completed.

The more recent assessment also dragged on for months, employees said. After Twelvetree’s departure, they said little has been said about what has been learned. The club declined to comment on whether the investigation has been completed or whether changes have been made as a result of the findings. Chelsea would only confirm that Twelvetree had left the club, without giving details of the terms of his departure.

His quiet departure stood in stark contrast to other recent high-level transfers at Chelsea, many of which were marked with a statement or press release. In the past few months alone, Chelsea have announced the arrival of a new chief executive And a new head coach — the fourth manager since the US-led takeover last year — and a realignment of leaders in the development and recruitment departments.

Off the pitch, Chelsea had been in touch with Bignell’s family about compensation, but the status of those talks remain unclear. The family is still receiving bereavement counseling and has taken part in fundraisers for his children, according to friends. Another is scheduled for next month at the stadium of Wycombe Wanderers, a lower division team Bignell supported.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, the following organizations can help you.

In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

In Great Britain, contact Samaritans at 116-123 or email jo@samaritans.org. Calling is free and confidential. Or call Papyrus on +44 800 068 4141 (9am to midnight), or send a message to Young Minds: text YM to 85258. You can also find a list of additional resources at Mind.org.uk.