poster
A senior bank executive sacked after allegedly staging a ‘mock act of terrorism’ with a junior colleague in a photo booth at their office Christmas party had just celebrated his first year with the company.
Ubank’s Chief Information Officer Robert Webb, 54, was fired on Monday over the alleged incident at an end-of-year function for the bank – a digital offshoot of the National Australia Bank – which was recently held at The Ivy, in Sydney‘s CBD.
Mr Webb allegedly knelt upright with his hands behind his back while a junior colleague, wearing a towel as an Arab-style headdress, pointed their hands, shaped to symbolise a gun, towards the executive.
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mr Webb is a high-flying executive who has worked at banks across three continents – including in Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia – before joining Ubank as its CIO in November last year.
Mr Webb appears to have stripped his Ubank position from the ‘experience’ section of his LinkedIn account in the wake of the alleged incident, although his current title remains on his page’s bio.
News of the scandal broke on Tuesday when prominent business Instagram page The Aussie Corporate shared details they had received from an unnamed Ubank staff member.
‘At the Christmas function held at The Ivy, a Merivale Photo Booth captured a highly disturbing image involving an executive and a junior colleague involving a mock terrorist or hostage situation,’ the employee claimed.
The employee claimed a junior colleague wore a towel like a ‘headdress’ in what they believed was ‘an attempt to depict a terrorist’.
Ubank Chief Information Officer Robert Webb (pictured) has been stood down over an alleged Christmas party incident
The Aussie Corporate later published what appeared to be a terse warning from CEO Kanishka Raja about staff behaviour in a company Slack channel.
‘At our recent All Hands (meeting), we talked about the importance of our brand and culture – they are the foundations of the trust our customers place in us,’ he wrote.
‘This is why we all have a responsibility to uphold our Code of Conduct. The standards and consequences it sets out apply to everyone without exception.
‘Today I have been meeting teams to confirm (name redacted) has left Ubank. I will commence a recruitment (sic)…’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Mr Raja confirmed ‘there was an executive departure on Monday’.
‘Senior leaders are expected to model appropriate behaviour consistent with our policies,’ he said.
‘We take matters relating to our Code of Conduct extremely seriously.
‘We have investigated thoroughly and acted swiftly.’
The Ubank Christmas party was understood to have been held at The Ivy in Sydney’s CBD
Mr Webb has enjoyed a high-flying career, which has seen him work for banks across the world
Mr Webb spent more than ten years in various manager roles at Commonwealth Bank, working at offices in Sydney and Hong Kong from 2005 to 2018.
He then served as a general manager for NAB in Melbourne for two years before relocating to the United Arab Emirates in October 2020 to become the Senior Vice President of First Abu Dhabi Bank’s core customer technology team.
Prior to joining Ubank last year, he also spent a year as a Chief Digital Officer at Vetcombank in Hanoi and founded Adelaide-based agricultural company, Southern Ocean Seaweed.
Mr Webb did not respond to requests for comment when contacted by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
During the Covid pandemic in 2021, while still based in the Middle East, Mr Webb and his wife’s plans to move back to Australia made headlines when they bought a NSW south coast home.
The property – which they only inspected via a video call – was purchased for more than $3.5million.
On Monday, HR Legal lawyer Dan Feldman told the Daily Mail the holiday season is a busy time for employment lawyers.
‘During December we often receive calls from clients that start with ‘You wouldn’t believe what happened last night at our end-of-year function’,’ he said.
An anonymous employee alleged staff were uncomfortable when they saw the mock scene
Ubank CEO Kanishka Raja (pictured) confirmed an executive had left the company
Mr Feldman said the most common cases involve sexual harassment, sometimes crossing the line into sexual assault, bullying and violence.
‘In almost every case, too much alcohol is involved,’ he said.
‘In many cases there have been warning signs throughout the year, and the inclusion of alcohol into the mix has seen these bad behaviours exacerbated.’
He warned employers still owe a duty of care at off-site, after-hours work-sponsored functions and that liability can extend to after-parties if managers continue to pay for drinks.
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