Member Article

Olympus fraud whistleblower to speak in Leeds

The British former CEO of the Olympus Corporation who blew the whistle on a £1 billion corporate fraud is set to speak at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Michael Woodford exposed the scandal in 2011 which has been described as one of the biggest loss-hiding arrangements in Japanese corporate history.

He will recount how he was dismissed just two weeks into the job as CEO, after questioning payments made by the company.

The scandal saw Olympus’s shares plunge, prompted the resignation of its board, and led to the arrests of several of its most senior former executives, including its chairman.

Woodford is just one of eight high-profile speakers due to appear as part of the University’s guest lecture series in the New Year.

Tom Vosa, Yorkshire Bank’s chief economist will kick off the guest lecture series on Tuesday January 14 in the University’s Rose Bowl building at City Campus.

The series also includes: Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council; Rob Forkan, co-founder of Gandys Flip Flops; Judge Mervyn King, one of the world’s foremost authorities on corporate governance and sustainability; Hugh Pym, chief economics correspondent for the BBC; Chris Clements, a partner in Grant Thornton, heading their Forensic & Investigation Services team in Yorkshire, and Tom Griffin, head of Corporate Communications, University of South Wales.

Paul Houghton, a principal lecturer in Leeds Metropolitan’s Faculty of Business and Law has organised the lecture series. He said: “The 2014 winter/spring business lectures are top notch and I would recommend that anyone interested in coming along to any of the sessions, books their place as spaces are limited.

“We have a wealth of speakers from diverse backgrounds and I am really looking forward to hearing them share their experiences and inspiring stories with us.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .