An event organised by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in Belfast next month looks in doubt after the business group announced the postponement of all public events following fresh allegations over sexual misconduct.
The business group said it will pause events including its annual dinner in London on May 11, where the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey was due to attend.
It comes a day after the CBI said it is investigating "all recent allegations" after The Guardian said it had been approached by more than a dozen women who said they had been victims of sexual misconduct by senior figures at the lobbying group.
The CBI’s Belfast-born director-general, Tony Danker, stepped aside last month pending an investigation following complaints about his conduct in the workplace.
Mr Danker had been due to address a room of 450 people at Titanic Belfast on May 18 for the CBI Northern Ireland annual dinner.
The event is still listed on the CBI’s website, but it’s unclear whether it will now go ahead.
When contacted on Tuesday about the Belfast event, a CBI spokesperson said: "In light of the very serious allegations that are currently subject to independent investigation, the CBI has decided to temporarily pause its external programme of events, including the annual dinner on May 11.
"After Easter, the board hopes to have preliminary findings and actions from the first phase of the investigation and, among other steps, will review this pause in event activity at that point."
On Monday, The Guardian reported an allegation from a woman who said she had been raped during a CBI staff party in 2019 and was later told by a manager to get counselling rather than to pursue the issue further.
It’s understood the new allegations reported by the Guardian do not relate to Mr Danker.
A CBI spokesperson said: "We have found no evidence or record of this matter. Given the seriousness of the issue, it is part of the independent investigation being conducted by Fox Williams."
