Online Public Relations Thoughts

Barclays Bank's American CEO has quit over his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.  The board had accused him of a lack of transparency over the connection while he was the head of JPMorgan's private bank, a job he held prior to Barclays. This is a case of contamination of reputation.  There is as yet no evidence the CEO knew of Epstein's sex trafficking or that he participated in sexual assault of the young women Epstein had recruited.  But, association was enough for the board, which feared for the reputation of the company should the CEO stay on.  Is it fair?  No, but that is the way life works.  A CEO serves at the pleasure of the board and if the board turns against him or her for any reason, it is time to step down. Communications and PR are helpless in such instances. They can only issue a board's decision. Defense of the CEO is out of the question.