McKinsey removes Chris Bradley over glass cliff LinkedIn row
Dubai: Consultancy and advisory firm McKinsey & Co. has removed its senior partner Chris Bradley from his leadership roles after he made LinkedIn comments that dismissed the “glass cliff” facing women executives. The firm confirmed their decision on October 11 after an internal committee reviewed the situation. Bradley was one of a handful of directors at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), its…
Consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. has removed senior partner Chris Bradley from his leadership positions after he made controversial remarks on LinkedIn about the "glass cliff" concept. The company disclosed the decision on October 11 following an internal review of Bradley's comments. Bradley, a long-standing director at McKinsey Global Institute and a senior partner based in Australia, claimed the glass cliff was a "very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain" and questioned whether the concept existed at all.
He also suggested that companies should not consider researching the issue, ranking it below the top 1,000 problems. Bradley's comments drew criticism from co-author Julia Carreon, who accused him of "willful ignorance." After deleting the posts, the firm released a statement expressing disappointment and disapproval of the remarks.
The exchange began when Bradley responded to a LinkedIn post discussing the glass cliff, which has been introduced by academics Alex Haslam and Michelle Ryan in 2005 to describe the phenomenon of women being offered CEO positions more often when companies are struggling. Data shows that women CEOs tend to leave companies after a shorter tenure compared to their male counterparts.
The controversy highlights a contradiction between McKinsey's own work on gender inequality and their senior partner's comments.
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