Super Retail boss sacked, $9m bonus cut in fallout from alleged relationship

Anthony Heraghty, the chief executive of Super Retail Group, has been sacked for misleading the company about an alleged relationship that has plunged the ASX-listed business into a multimillion-dollar legal battle with its former top lawyers.

In a statement to the ASX, the retailer said Heraghty had been fired with immediate effect for misleading the company about the nature of his alleged relationship with its former head of human resources. Super Retail’s board of directors have also chosen to scrap his incentives of $8.7 million, although he is still due to receive a $620,760 cash bonus this month.

“The board made this decision after receiving new information from Mr Heraghty regarding his relationship with the company’s former chief human resources officer,” the company, which operates Rebel Sport, BCF and Supercheap Auto, said in its statement.

“In light of this new information, the board has concluded Mr Heraghty’s prior disclosures were not satisfactory.”

Last year, Super Retail’s former chief legal officer Rebecca Farrell and its former company secretary Amelia Berczelly launched separate legal actions against their previous employer for allegedly punishing them for trying to bring to light allegations about Heraghty having a relationship with Jane Kelly, the human resources boss at the time, and the inappropriate use of company funds to further the alleged relationship.

In their Federal Court documents, the lawyers claimed this cascaded into workplace bullying by senior executives, breaches of the Corporations Act, and a questionable response to whistleblower complaints by board members including chair Sally Pitkin, who departed the board last October.

The board of Super Retail, which in April 2024 made the highly unusual move of notifying the market of impending legal action before any had been launched, dismissed the allegations at the time.

“The board has conducted a review and investigations into these allegations,” the company said last year. “The board was supported by independent external advisers. The board’s review and investigations concluded that none of the allegations are substantiated.”

However, Super Retail’s statement on Tuesday morning indicated it may reconsider its position in the Federal Court cases, for which it has set aside $11.3 million.

The board will “carefully consider” the implications of the new revelation and for “any related matters”.

Chief financial officer David Burns will take over as interim chief executive while the company conducts a search for a new chief executive.

Super Retail’s share price closed 4.3 per cent lower on Tuesday to $16.52.

“Clearly, new information has come to light,” said E&P retail analyst Kade Madigan. “However, we are surprised around the timing, given how long it has been since these investigations were initiated.”

A Super Retail Group employee had been so concerned about how whistleblower complaints were handled that they made an emergency disclosure to Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones. This led to corporate cop ASIC demanding that Super Retail staff attend compulsory interrogations about how the matter was handled.

The company has said in the past that its staff are encouraged to speak up about safety and ethical concerns, and that it is committed to safeguarding employees’ health, safety and wellbeing.

“Super Retail Group places a strong emphasis on preventing and addressing serious misconduct, including sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, victimisation, and other forms of harassment,” its 2025 Responsible Business report said.

“No person may victimise or cause detriment to someone else [or threaten to do so] because of a belief that someone has, will or could ‘speak up’.”

In an affidavit submitted to the Federal Court as part of Farrell’s proceedings, Berczelly said she believed the company, Heraghty and chair Pitkin “wanted to push me to kill myself, destroy my reputation, and bankrupt me as a means to silence me and punish me for being a whistleblower”.

Australian Shareholders’ Association chief executive Rachel Waterhouse said the lapsing of Heragthy’s bonuses was aligned with shareholder interests, but more questions needed to be answered.

“Shareholders will want clarity on what investigation has been undertaken, why these issues have only come to light now, and how the board is strengthening governance and oversight,” she said.

“The upcoming AGM [on October 23] will be an important opportunity for investors to seek answers and to understand how the board intends to ensure the right culture and leadership are in place going forward.”

The appointment of chief financial officer David Burns to interim chief executive was “prudent”, Citi retail analysts said. But they also expects the company to look externally.

“We believe internal contenders for the role will include Mr Burns, Benjamin Ward [managing director of Supercheap Auto], Gary Williams [managing director of Rebel], and Paul Bradshaw [managing director of BCF],” Knock said in a note to clients.

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