I can teach you a lot about sex
What married City boss, 50, is accused of telling analyst, 27, at bash to celebrate deal
A CITY analyst accused her boss of harassment after he offered to teach her about sex during an alcohol-fuelled party, it was claimed yesterday.
Nathalie Abildgaard, 27, said her married 50-year-old boss pursued her around a nightclub, telling her: ‘You’re young, you know nothing about sex. I can teach you a lot of things.’
She was part of a team from fund management firm IFM Investors celebrating clinching a major deal.
Later that night her boss sent her a series of WhatsApp messages, an employment tribunal heard. They included his hotel room number and the blunt message: ‘Come now.’
Miss Abildgaard ignored the drunken advances but quit IFM Investors weeks later, and has begun legal action for alleged harassment, constructive dismissal and victimisation.
The alleged incident took place in a nightclub in Madrid last March where a team from IFM was celebrating. Miss Abildgaard said executive director Frederic Michel-Verdier was drunk when he approached her repeatedly, standing ‘inappropriately and intimidatingly’ close and following her.
He allegedly said: ‘If I were 20 years younger I would be all over you.’
Later he sent the WhatsApp messages and tried to call. Two days later, he approached her at work and said: ‘Good night out on Friday. I was so drunk I missed my flight out.’
Miss Abildgaard, who is originally from Denmark, claims the company failed to protect her from his advances and failed to respond properly when she reported what had happened.
She quit less than a month after the nightclub incident and alleges she missed out on part of an annual bonus because she had felt forced to go. Two days after her resignation, Mr MichelVerdier allegedly messaged her again, saying: ‘Good luck for your new venture. Now we can meet.’
Miss Abildgaard joined IFM’s London office in 2016. Mr Michel-Verdier has worked there since 2008. He was previously an investment banker at ING Barings.
He has reportedly been disciplined by IFM for ‘misuse of alcohol’ over the incident and was banned from drinking at company events for 12 months. According to The Sunday Times, he told colleagues he was stunned by the harassment claims and has no recollection of sending any messages.
Miss Abildgaard is due to give evidence at the Central London tribunal today. She has spent around £50,000 on the case and has launched a charity, Legal Aid for Business Diversity, to encourage other alleged victims to pursue harassment claims.
Most such claims in the City are settled without being heard in public, because firms prefer to pay settlements and then silence alleged victims with non-disclosure agreements.
IFM, which manages assets worth £52billion, denies Miss Abildgaard’s allegations. It said it had investigated her claims, adding that it ‘takes allegations of workplace misconduct extremely seriously’ and ‘goes to great lengths to foster a positive, equal and respectful workplace culture’.
The tribunal continues.
‘I was so drunk I missed my flight’