Kevin, the other Gallagher brother
Santos is the long-running victim of charismatic leadership.
In one of the most predictable developments ever, Santos CFO Sherry Duhe quit the company last week because she was jack of CEO Kevin Gallagher. Aren't we all?
It is an open secret that Gallagher presides over a culture of dysfunction and fear at Santos.[[Though Gallagher has clearly been working on his Glassdoor ratings since 2023 when his approval there languished at 23 per cent versus 89 per cent for Woodside's Meg O'Neill. He's now at 47 per cent.]] Liam and Noel from Oasis would probably claim blood ties if they'd seen one of Kevin's outbursts. Duhe is only the latest senior executive to throw up her hands and leave. How telling that a highly regarded outsider came in and didn't last 12 months. In fact, Gallagher must be real bad given Duhe put up with gold-plated monster Sandeep Biswas at Newcrest for twice as long.
What I love is that Duhe provided particularised written feedback to Gallagher about his toxic style of leadership, and while Gallagher was feigning a preparedness to reform himself, he handballed the job of purging her immediately to Santos' witless chairman Keith Spence, ever Gallagher's humble servant.
Did Spence launch a thorough, independent workplace investigation to ascertain whether Duhe's grievances were real or not? Very funny. Spence is like a Sicilian father. You've slighted my precious son – begone! Take her out the back and feed her to the pigs.