The former chief financial officer of Royal Bank of Canada, who was fired over allegations that she had an undisclosed personal relationship with another executive, says the bank is trying to “concoct” a reason for her dismissal as the two sides join an increasingly heated dispute.
Nadine Ang continues to deny having a romantic relationship with Ken Mason, a former finance executive at the bank, saying in new legal documents filed in an Ontario court that the two were just “good friends” and that Ang never abused her power to manipulate Mason’s promotions or pay increases.
Canada’s largest bank fired Ang in April after an investigation was triggered by an anonymous whistleblower’s complaint about the alleged relationship. The former CFO, one of Canada’s most prominent female financial leaders with 25 years of experience at the bank, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit last month.
A week later, RBC fired back, alleging that correspondence between Ahn and Mason spanning more than a decade proved an intimate relationship they had kept secret: The colleagues called each other pet names, exchanged romantic poems, celebrated anniversaries and met for drinks outside of work, it said.
“RBC’s conclusions are based on speculation and conjecture and are clearly a blatant and deliberate attempt to fabricate a case of termination for cause,” the court documents state.
RBC “selectively quoted” the exchanges between the former colleagues, Mr. Ahn’s lawyer, Mark Fletcher, said in a separate statement on Thursday. “There is no rule prohibiting workplace friendships, and this is what this case is all about.”
An RBC spokesman declined to comment on Ahn’s new allegations but referred to the bank’s previous responses and court filings.
“Ann was a highly respected member of our management team and a senior leader with fiduciary responsibilities. We supported her career growth and had great confidence in her abilities,” the company said in an earlier statement. After receiving the anonymous complaint, the bank “immediately launched a thorough investigation by external legal counsel. We are disappointed to learn that the allegations are true.”
RBC also argues that because Ang was named to the company’s board of directors, it was obligated to disclose his firing in a news release.
An attorney for Mason, who is also suing for wrongful termination, did not respond to a request for comment.
RBC’s claims
Mason received promotions and pay increases, Fletcher said. “Nadine was supportive when we consulted on these decisions because it made sense. There are a lot of checks and balances in the bank to ensure that someone can’t unilaterally decide compensation.”
Mr. Ahn argued in court filings that bank policies didn’t require him to disclose his workplace relationships. RBC executives regularly socialized outside of work and some even vacationed together. Nicknames were a common part of the workplace culture, the filings allege.
Ang also denied RBC’s allegations that he improperly shared confidential information with Mason and that he lied to outside investigators when questioned about the relationship.
She said the circumstances of firing an employee for an undisclosed romantic relationship with a subordinate were “fundamentally different from a workplace friendship” with Mason.
(The company’s previous response has been added in the eighth paragraph.)
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