Veteran arts and culture executive Michael Lynch has been named interim head of media at Neom in Saudi Arabia, a hub for media, entertainment, tourism and more, following allegations of racism, misogyny and inappropriate workplace behavior by senior executives.
THE Wall Street Journal He said that the executives included former Fox and Universal executive Wayne Borg, CEO of Neom Media Industries, citing as evidence numerous audio recordings listened to by his team.
“Michael Lynch has assumed the role of interim head of media, in addition to his existing responsibilities as head of entertainment and culture,” a Neom representative said in a statement Wednesday. “At Neom, we take allegations of this nature very seriously. We are committed to our Code of Conduct, which sets clear standards for the actions and behaviors of every employee. We do not tolerate violations of our Code of Conduct and have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment in all forms.”
Previously, Lynch served as chief executive of the Sydney Opera House, chief executive of London's South Bank Centre and chief executive of the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.
It was not immediately clear what Borg’s status was at Neom. His LinkedIn account on Wednesday showed him as working for Neom, but the hub’s leadership page did not list his name.
“We are committed to continuing to build a strong, positive culture and an inclusive, respectful and ethical work environment for all,” Neom’s statement added. “The very serious allegations in the press about Neom’s senior leaders do not reflect the behavior of our 5,000 employees. The safety and well-being of our workforce is our top priority and our Worker Well-being team has strong policies in place to ensure everyone is treated with dignity, care and respect.”
Claiming to have a “strong governance framework,” the Saudi hub also highlighted an anonymous SpeakUp portal where employees can raise concerns, noting: “Every concern is handled with the utmost scrutiny and integrity, and we take appropriate action to address any misconduct.”
The name Neom is composed of the word “neo,” meaning “new,” and the M, the first letter of “mustaqbal,” an Arabic word meaning “future.” Coincidentally, the M is also the first letter of the name of the de facto Saudi ruler and chairman of Neom Company, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose brainchild Neom.