Anthony Hilton: Men in top roles would never be treated as badly as women

Sacha Romanovitch, the chief executive of accounting firm Grant Thornton, was inclusive, open and, as of last week, effectively forced to resign. She was appointed three years ago to bring the firm into the 21st century, with a more caring, embracing culture. Now some of her partners have decided they would rather stay where they were, with 20th-century motivations and 19th-century values.

She allegedly took her eye off the ball went it came to profit, and this was fatal. Women in business are tolerated if they talk about the wider needs of society, but only if they make sure the dog gets fed too. Profits with a purpose is good, but only if the profits come first.

Romanovitch talked about mental health issues and social mobility. She capped her own remuneration and put into place a scheme which gives all staff — not just the partners — a share of the profits. That angered some of the partners, whose pay was stuck around 2014 levels.

Her reward was served up in an anonymous memo sent to the press which allegedly raised concerns about her leadership, the firm’s profitability and her “socialist agenda”.

Even her competitors thought such treatment was brutal and several phoned her to say so. But their message was also that the managing partner, or chief executive, may be in the office, but he has to be very careful if he wants to stay in power.

And it has always been a “he” —Romanovitch was the first woman ever at the top of an almost-top-flight accounting firm.

The work of accountancies can be cutting edge, but the firms themselves are anything but. Instead, they are very conscious of their sense of entitlement. Perhaps Romanovitch should have looked more at the operational side of the firm, or had a deputy who would have done that for her, to answer her partners’ concerns.

However, it is still hard to believe the partners would have leaked stories to the press if it had been a man in her position. They say they would, but it has never happened in my time in the media — and that has been more than 40 years.

It reminds one of Barbara Judge — who I admit is not everyone’s cup of tea — and the way she was thrown out as chair of the Institute of Directors earlier this year. The organisation degenerated into a storm of rumour, innuendo and press tittle-tattle about Lady Judge, and this from a firm which held forth on corporate governance. Again, it is hard to believe this would have happened to a man.

So much for women having the same opportunities and all that other stuff we hear about. I thought gender balance was not so that a woman could be like a man, doing the same things and continuing the same macho culture.