Hearts & Minds: Some things there are no coming back from

It is a measure of whether a CEO should resign that when they do, there is no surprise. So, it was yesterday with Justin Welby. His announced departure yesterday registered zero on the Richter scale. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s position had become untenable following a damning report into a child abuse scandal. There are lessons here.

As ever, it was not direct involvement in the repeated incidence of horrific behaviour over decades that did for him, but the subsequent cover-up. Welby, as head of the Anglican church, was found to have known about the behaviour in 2013 and took no action. A review determined that although Welby “may not have known the extreme seriousness of the abuse” when told in 2013, it is “most probable he would have had at least a level of knowledge” that the abuser, John Smyth, was “of some concern”. Critically, Welby failed to ensure police were informed. Smyth died in 2018 and was never brought to account.

Some CEOs quit even though they have no personal connection with what occurred. It took place on their watch, the corporation’s reputation is suffering, a change is required. In Welby’s case the reputational damage was both to himself and to the brand – as leader he had been informed but chose to do nothing. He admitted as much, saying it had not been “energetically investigated”.

But Welby chose not to go. All this did was invite victims and critics to speak out. No one at a high level spoke in Welby’s defence, a surefire sign that he must depart. Even then, he clung on, further harming his own reputation and that of the institution. He and they had no control of the narrative – the story focused on his failure to stand down. Stubbornness, arrogance, hubris are not descriptions that any stakeholder wishes to hear. 

Comms-wise, the situation was worsened by context. Sometimes, a case can be made that this is isolated and has no bearing on the corporation and its chief. Welby made it his priority on taking charge to clean-up. While the Catholic Church had been at the centre of numerous abuse scandals, the Church of England was not immune. Welby was also critical of the BBC over its handling of the Jimmy Savile affair. Welby’s espousal of radical transparency clearly did not extend to his own organisation. Hypocrite was added to the list.

There was no question of him staying.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.