Ex-Harrods CEO says he witnessed Mohamed Al Fayed’s ‘abhorrent’ behavior
A former chief executive at Harrods said he witnessed Mohamed Al Fayedās āabhorrentā behavior during his brief time at the iconic UK retailer — but claims he was not aware of any sexual abuse, according to a report.
in a new documentary that Egyptian billionaire Fayed ā who died last year aš³t 94 ā raped and sexually assaulted them while they worked at the London department store throughout his 25 years as Harrodsā owner.
Now, James McArthur ā who served as Harrods’ CEO for just 10 months in 2008 ā has spoken out about Fayedās behavior.
āI was indeed CEO of Harrods for a short,šÆ and most unpleasaź¦«nt, 10 months during 2008 under Fayed,ā in a statement.
“While Fayedās behaviour was often abhorrent in many ways, and professional relationships with him were largely dysfunctional, I was not aware of any sexual abuse by him ā if I had been, I would have taken action.ā
McArthur said Fayed used inappropriate humor and was unprofessāional.
The formeš¦r chief executive worked under Fayed while polšice officers were investigating an alleged assault on a 15-year-old girl in a Harrods boardroom.
McArthur said he was unaware of the investigatiš®on.
āFayed would, I imagine, have tried to keep anything like that closź¦šely under his control within the secure precinct of the chairmanās office,ā McArthur told the BBC.
The BBC tolź¦d McArthur that the investigation was covered by numerous media outlets in 2008.
āI do not recall that at all,ā McArthur insisted.
Police ofš ŗficers presented the Crown Prosecution Service with evidence in 2009 and 2015 to charge Fayed ā but the agency chose not to pursue a conviction both times.
McArthur was not the oš±nly chief executive to leave the iconic London department store after a short time as Harrods saw high leadership turnover under Fayed.
After leavingš Harź¦rods, McArthur took the helm at Anya Hindmarch ā an English luxury handbag company ā and then served as chairman at a number of companies, most recently at luxury designer Lulu Guinness, according to his LinkedIn.
He has ź§ not listed a place of employment on his profile since 2021. His job title on LinkedIn is currently āInvestor/Director/Advisor.ā
“My heart goes out to Fayedās victims, and I do hope very much that they will get the justice and closure that they are seeking,ā McArthur told the BBC.
McArthur declined to provide further comment.
Andre Maeder ā the chief executive at Harrods rival Selfridges and a formerš Harrods director from 1996 to 2002 ā said on Monday he was āhorrifiedā to learn about the allegations.
He told the BBC he āšnever saw or heaź¦Ærd anythingā about the abuse.
Harrods is currently investigating whether current staffers worked to cover up Al Fayedās allegeš§d aš»buse.
But lawyer Maria Mulla, who represents the former Harrods employees, said the retailer’s investigation is not impartial nor independent.
āThe way they looked into those allegāations was tšo undermine them,ā she told the BBC.
Mulla said the scale ofā¤ the allegations šcould grow to be āabsolutely massive.ā
Last week, Mulla and her team represented 37 women. Since then, the laāwyers have heard from 100 people ā including women raising āseriousā inquiries and people wanting to help with evidence, she said.
Harrods — which was bought by the state of Qatar in 2010 — said it āfailed our employees who were his victimsā and vowed to settle legal claims āin the quickest way possible” in a statement.
Harrods has reached financial settlements with a majority of former employees who accusāØed Fayed of abuse, according to the BBC.
āThe Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of š¦©our employees at the heart of everything we do,ā the company said in a statement.
Harrods did not respond tź¦ŗo requeāØsts for further comment.
Many of the victims described a culture of fear at the department store that stopped them from coā±ming foš²rward years earlier.
Lawyers for the victims claimed Fayed assaulted and rapedā female staffers at the department store, forced them to have medical screenings and threatened them if they tried to speak out.
One woman said she received a phone call from Al Fayedās security that he ź§knew where her parents lived after she spoke to a journalist about her bossās behavior.
Another woman said a member of Harrodsā human resources šteam was present when lawyers destrošyed evidence of Fayedās assault against her.