Veteran arts and culture executive Michael Lynch has been named acting sector head for media at Neom in Saudi Arabia, a hub for media, entertainment, tourism, and more amid allegations of racism, misogyny and inappropriate workplace behavior by top executives.
The Wall Street Journal reported that former Fox and Universal executive Wayne Borg, managing director of Neom Media Industries, was among the executives, citing multiple audio recordings heard by its team as evidence.
“Michael Lynch has assumed the role of acting sector head for media, in addition to his existing responsibilities as the sector head of entertainment and culture,” a Neom representative said in a Wednesday statement. “At Neom, we take allegations of this nature very seriously. We are committed to upholding our Code of Conduct, which sets clear standards for the actions and behaviors of every employee. We do not tolerate breaches of our Code of Conduct and have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment in all forms.”
Lynch previously served as the CEO of the Sydney Opera House, CEO of London’s South Bank Centre, and CEO of the Hong Kong West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.
It was not immediately clear what Borg’s status at Neom was. His LinkedIn account on Wednesday showed him as working for Neom, but the hub’s leadership page didn’t show his name.
“We are dedicated to continuing to build a strong and positive culture and an inclusive, respectful, and ethical workplace for all,” the Neom statement added. “The very serious allegations that have appeared in the press regarding Neom senior executives do not reflect the behavior of our 5,000 employees. The safety and welfare of our workforce are our top priorities, and our worker welfare team has strong policies to ensure everyone is treated with dignity, care, and respect.”
Saying it has a “strong governance framework,” the Saudi hub also highlighted an anonymous SpeakUp portal where employees can raise concerns, emphasizing: “Every concern is handled with the utmost scrutiny and integrity, and we take appropriate actions to address any misconduct.”
The name Neom is made up of the word “neo,” for “new,” and M, the first letter in “mustaqbal,” an Arabic word for “future.” M coincidentally is also the starting letter of the name of the de facto Saudi ruler and Neom Company chairman Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose brainchild Neom is.
