Alex Malley's adjustment

Every so often, I'm asked, "Whatever happened to Alex Malley?" – or more likely, "that dodgy accounting guy on the billboards." 

Those would be the airport (and even Times Square!) billboards promoting the so-called Naked CEO, his book and his TV show, all of it funded by CPA Australia, the sleepy but deep-pocketed members' organisation he captured and milked for his benefit. 

A sustained campaign by the AFR in 2017, led by Edmund Tadros and yours truly, revealed the stunning extent of CPA Australia's cronyism under Malley and his cabal. Seven members of the board resigned and Malley's remaining board allies then sacked him, triggering a $5 million termination payment. The organisation's constitution was rewritten to ensure such a takeover could never be repeated.  

Alex Malley: What a difference a year makes

A year ago, the high profile CPA boss Alex Malley seemed unstoppable. Fewer than six months later, Malley would be jobless and CPA’s reputation would be in tatters.

Australian Financial ReviewJoe Aston

For years, my answer to those questions was that I could only presume Malley was flourishing in total obscurity. But then in 2022, an incredible thing happened: Malley landed a job at another members' organisation, the Australian Chiropractors Association, where to this day he remains chief executive.[[Malley has a rich history of haunting medical professional bodies. He was once CEO of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, which I like to say is where he learned to take the piss.]]