STANDARD BANK OF SA LTD

A senior executive economist posted a tweet on social media that was widely perceived to be racist.  A social media storm erupted which severely impacted the Bank’s reputation.  There was material political and reputational fallout, and the matter became the subject of significant debate in the mainstream media.  The Bank’s reaction to the incident and the steps it took to deal with it was subject to intense public scrutiny.  We acted for the Bank, providing strategic advice on dealing with the incident and its aftermath.  The steps it took in response included instituting internal disciplinary proceedings, and in the executive ultimately resigned from his employment with the Bank.