PwC investigates as laddish e-mails go viral

Published: Saturday, November 13, 2010

SEXIST E-MAILS by male employees about young female colleagues in PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin were being viewed on internet sites around the globe yesterday.

The series of e-mails, that included staff photographs of the women, were circulated within the firm at first but then sent to men in other financial services businesses in Dublin.

Senior partner with the firm Ronan Murphy yesterday sent an e-mail to its Irish clients and alumni emphasising that the firm was taking the issue "extremely seriously".

The Irish Daily Mail, the Irish Independent and the Evening Herald yesterday published the photographs of the women that accompanied the e-mails. The photographs were also published on such widely viewed websites as gawker.com and the Huffington Post in the US, as well as on websites in Canada and India.

The e-mail thread that appeared on the internet indicated that on the afternoon of October 26th, Stephen Tully of PwC sent an e-mail to 14 male colleagues within the firm. "This would be my shortlist for the top ten," the e-mail stated. An hour later colleague Paul G Cummins replied: "Great Work, have reservations about the last one getting in."

The e-mail included photographs of female graduates who had recently joined the firm. The following morning Mr Tully fowarded the e-mail to the same group as well as two others with the message: "Lads, a couple added and also departments."

Later that morning, David McDonough at PwC forwarded the e-mail to three male colleagues in the firm as well as to men in CBRE estate agents, Mercer consulting group and HSOC accountants. This e-mail included a crude term.

After this it appears the e-mail went viral and spread around the city.

According to Mr Murphy and a press statement issued earlier, the firm became aware of the e-mails late on Tuesday, November 9th.

It is expected the controversy, and the photographs, will appear in newspapers around the globe today. A full investigation by senior management is ongoing.

The women concerned are understood to be upset. Mr Murphy said they had the full support of the firm.

The chief executive of the National Women's Council, Susan McKay, said the decision of some newspapers and websites to publish the photographs was a further invasion of the women's privacy.

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This article was found in the Irish Times on the 12th November, 2010

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