And the B stands for banter.
BNP Paribas' head of legal for Equity Capital Markets called an Asian colleague a "Cheeky Chink", RollOnFriday can reveal, while another senior lawyer declared that his managers at the bank were "cunts".
Benoit Faure made the "Cheeky Chink" comment in an email last May after an Asian employee asked his team to provide some Excel spreadsheet data. The lawyer used the slur in a message he sent to colleagues after thanking her.
An inside source described Faure as "old school" and liable to write "offensive things", but said the French national was "definitely not racist" and may have been tripped up by a language barrier. BNP Paribas has suspended the senior lawyer over his conduct, said the insider, although neither the bank nor Faure confirmed if any action had been taken against him.
The incident is likely to bring further pressure to bear on the French company after it was accused of whitewashing an investigation into Faure's colleague, Benedict Foster, earlier this year. Foster, who is BNP Paribas' London head of legal for debt and equity, issued a public apology for referring to an Asian colleague as 'Hu She'.
"I accept that I have said things to colleagues that were unacceptable. While a full investigation found no racist intent on my part, I understand that certain remarks made by me caused offence", Foster told The Telegraph in January. "I can only apologise for any distress I have caused, accept the appropriate sanction from my employer and commit to doing better in future", he said.
RollOnFriday has obtained the email chain in which Foster made the remark, and can confirm that the woman whom Foster called 'Hu She' is the same person referred to in derogatory terms by Faure. The correspondence shows that Faure was annoyed that a BNP Paribas announcement had put a positive spin on the departure of two staff, and asked who was responsible for the message. Foster suggested it was their Asian colleague, stating, "Isn't that Hu She? Global Head of Bag-Carrying?"
An internal investigation cleared Foster of racism over the comment. He was also accused of calling an Indian colleague "Biryani", but told investigators that he was actually using his own rhyming slang for the bank's General Counsel, Georges Dirani, said a source. Investigators exonerated him in relation to the allegation.
Foster's comfort with robust language in a work setting was evidenced by another email leaked to RollOnFriday in which the solicitor referred to a female boss and two other BNP Paribas managers as "cunts".
The bank’s treatment of Foster has infuriated some BNP Paribas staff, according to posts on the bank's internal messaging platform.
After details of Foster's 'Hu She' and 'Biryani' emails appeared in the press, UK employees took to the messaging app to complain about the bank's findings. In posts seen by RollOnFriday, they argued that Foster's punishment, which comprised a formal disciplinary warning and "additional remedial requirements" which included a training session, were too mild and indicated the bank was not treating the incident sufficiently seriously.
"How can we possibly hope to change the culture of the organisation when there are no consequences for blatant racist behaviour...It's frankly embarrassing to work for BNP Paribas right now", said one employee. "It's quite clear that the grievance process is a sham and a farce", said another.
The bank’s UK General Counsel, Helen Fletcher, responded by telling UK staff on the platform that Foster's comments were "undoubtedly rude, inappropriate and hurtful", and that "the uncomfortable reality is that whilst not racially motivated, this form of name calling has naturally had an impact on the experience of members of my team". However, said Fletcher, "it was clearly established that the label Biryani was not a reference to an employee of Indian origin" and that "in relation to the label Hu She", the internal BNP Paribas panel "was satisfied that this label was not racially motivated".
An employee responded, "The words used by the individual are quite clearly racist and many of us do not require an investigation panel at the bank to tell us otherwise. Now perhaps the response to me will be that I am missing the content or that I do not know exactly what or how it was said, but until there is transparency and we are told exactly what was said then this will be the (in my opinion) very obvious conclusion". He added that "D&I is becoming meaningless as an action or goal when its context is simply based on how it looks to the outside would".
"We understand why the actions the bank took may look inadequate to the outside world", responded UK HR head Louise Fitzgerald-Lombard, "but be under no illusions: this was taken seriously, investigated forensically and the actions taken have serious, long term implications".
In a fractious to and fro between staff and management on the platform, Simon Olenka, UKMEA head of BNP Paribas, chipped in to tell them that, "whilst I am not personally involved in any of [the cases] I do know that they will have been investigated in microscopic detail. The problem is, respecting the confidential and sensitive nature of these incidents means that its not possible to communicate in advance".
At the time of publication, BNP Paribas, Foster, and Faure had not commented.
Comments
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When you go to BNP Paribas' diversity and inclusion page, it comes up with a message: "The requested page does not exist anymore". Not surprising given the number of closet and open racists here:
https://group.bnpparibas/en/diversity-equality-and-inclusion
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beta lawyers acting like the bankers they wish they were
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When I saw the headline I thought it might be sensationalising the messages... but they really are that bad. One has to wonder what's being said in person and Whatsapp if this is what's being written on work emails.
Not a great look for BNP, either, since they appear to have completely ignored a culture permissive of racial slurs.
108
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the noughties called and they want their email-based workplace idiocy back.
Have these muppets not heard of whatsapp?
102
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This is common at BNP Paribas legal. It's a toxic environment where xenophobes like Benoit and Benedict just get a little slap on the wrists for their casual racism, before laughing it off. Time for anyone that values a dignified working environment where colleagues are respected to leave.
Management chooses to sweep the problem with racism under the carpet again and again.
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They’re called BNP and they act like the BNP.
111
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Unbelievable. Should be fired immediately. Imagine if he called someone a "cheek n-word". There'd be riots everywhere and he'd be fired so fast.
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Wow, just wow! Blatant racism and they’re still allowed to work at such a high profile bank. It says a lot about the culture of the place. Imagine having to work with these douchebags, regardless of what colour you are.
90
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A pathetic response to blatant racism. Avoid like the plague.
106
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Aside from the obvious racism (which is clear and should be a sackable offence) it is also very two-faced of these senior men. I’m not sure how I and other co-workers will feel next time we get an email request from Benoit or Benedict knowing that they’ll follow it up with horrible, snide comments behind our backs. I’m really disgusted by this.
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Ms Fletcher should be investigated by the SRA in stating that there was no racist intent.
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Can someone explain the Hu She comment and what it is supposed to mean?
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I thought this was a lawyer forum….no one heard of due process and employment law? The wheels of justice turn slowly but turn they do….I’m ex-BNPP legal (recent), a women of colour, and I never witnessed any racism in the legal department, on the contrary, it was a very inclusive environment. Two rotten apples don’t make a barrel of rotten apples
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Very weak of BNP Paribas not to fire these dinosaurs. Can't believe a big bank or any large organisation lets people who have been caught red handed writing or saying racist things about their colleagues can keep their job. So much for diversity, equality and inclusion at BNP Paribas.
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"many of us do not require an investigation panel at the bank to tell us"
Who needs these 'judges' and so-called 'juries' to tell us who is and isn't guilty? All you need to do is to look at him to know he's a wrong-un. Hanging at dawn, and no need to waste any time or money on all this 'due process and a fair hearing' malarky.
And don't forget - it's the other side who are the fascists. We're the tolerant goodies.
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A conclusion that even the BSB would be proud of.
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@S 10.35 - I'm really pleased that you never witnessed any racism in the legal department, but aren't you worried on the basis of these emails that they were just doing it with their mates about you, behind your back?
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Helen Fletcher actually said that there was no racist intent in Foster calling an Indian colleague biriyani. Imagine.
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"I'm really pleased that you never witnessed any racism in the legal department, but aren't you worried on the basis of these emails that they were just doing it with their mates about you, behind your back?"
That's right, let's just tell the person from an ethnic minority how they're supposed to think and feel.
We can't have one with their own opinions now, can we?
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Just doesn't seem right that this is the head of a department. How do people of colour working under him feel about this?
Also I agree with Greg lp: If he had used the N word he surely would have been fired.
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What a bunch of thoroughly unpleasant people.
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I'm still trying to understand how clearly racist comments can be viewed as "not racially motivated". What else was the motivation?
Helen Fletcher's puny response to let Benoit and Benedict get away with such abhorrent language sets a bad example for the whole legal team.
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@anon, I understand your point and I completely agree that the emails are shocking but at the same time most of the comments in the article simply don’t reflect an understanding of how HR processes work - in the U.K. and France firing someone requires time and patience. And much of it happens behind the scenes. And I don’t believe for a second that many of the people I worked for and with were racist or that BNP tolerates racism. On the contrary. It’s too easy to jump to erroneous conclusions based on press commentary.
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No company is ever going to admit discrimination, no matter how strong the merits. Inevitably, they will always deny discrimination, even if they are sued in the Tribunal. This is why there is a problem.
Also, note the age of the individual. He is nearing retirement and most likely sufficiently well-off not to need to work. So that partly explains why he keeps making comments like this.
The SRA may open an investigation of its own accord now that this is public.
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Why isn’t Orwell commenting on this ?
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Well the next diversity, equality and inclusion initiative is going to feel a little awkward if Benoit, Benedict or Helen turn up.....
80
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We should protest peacefully and lawfully outside BNP offices against this and demand action. We will be setting up an activist group to launch the protests.
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I wonder how Asian, Indian or other ethnic minority staff will feel the next time they receive an email or call from the perpetrators or the leadership team who dismissed the complaints
71
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Totally agree @Verkhovensky. It's not acceptable. This isn't the 70s.
The enablers in management who have have given excuses for the racism (inexplicably saying it's "not racially motivated"!) are almost as much to blame.
72
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Disgraceful emails. Disgraceful "nothing to see here" response from bnpp.
73
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Wholly unacceptable.
I went to school with a friend from Hong Kong. I recently went for a pint with him and he still recalls a kid at school calling him a "chinky" during a basketball game. The incident was around 1998. Slurs hurt.
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How do senior people at a big bank get away with this, in this day and age?
74
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Very strangely worded vindication by Helen Fletcher.
I'm guessing there weren't any people of colour on the panel who deemed it be 'not racially motivated'
64
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Sad and pathetic. Management and HR have no backbone to stand up to the racists, as they're pretty much justifying the racism and letting them off the hook.
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As a reminder to BNP Paribas employees posting here, the discussions between BNP Paribas UK employees and London Branch management on the Rungway forum are confidential and should not be shared externally. BNPP has strict policies in place on sharing content externally. You must at all times avoid sharing confidential information and behave professionally. This isn't Twitter.
Be under no illusions: this was taken seriously, investigated forensically and the actions taken have serious, long term implications. Racism has no place at BNP Paribas. However we must not rush to conclusions, based on sensational press reports. Whilst hurtful, the conduct here was definitely not racist, because [the people being investigated] said so.
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"I wonder how Asian, Indian or other ethnic minority staff will feel"
No consideration of Palestinian staff, I see.
73
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Sounds like a delightful place to work. Plus I need some more material for my next gig
73
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To the racists and apologists in legal, well done for dragging BNPP's name through the mud today. I've had people from other companies asking me about this; quite rightly completely appalled. Hope you're proud.
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@BNP HR, honest
That parody is painfully accurate. The last sentence would be funny if it wasn't all so embarrassing ....
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£2,000,000 witches hats are all good trading desk banter though right?
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Presumably the SRA should investigate?
Has BNPP notified them?
58
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bnpp legal has always been a laughing stock
Now it is official
70
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I wonder how the women feel working with someone who has referred to a female manager as a c**t - if he said that in one email I wonder what more has been said on IM, in meeting rooms, at desks...
Did BNP only 'investigate' the racism - is misogyny simply accepted in that bank?
73
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I'm getting so sick of the feeble "oh, he's old school, he didn't mean any harm by it" excuse. Join the 21st century already.
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bnpp legal has always been a laughing stock
Now it is official
twat
67
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I know a couple of people who've worked there. Apparently the London-based lawyer (Foster) has been like this forever and legal management have brushed it under the carpet. More and more will come out about this no doubt.
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Turning a blind eye to barefaced racism is not a good look for a GC. Shameful.
66
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Will BNP please confirm a complete and urgent clear out of all racists masquerading as legal managers? RoF awaits a response. Silence will be taken as refusal to accept that there is any issue to address.
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BNPP sending out a strong message to the jobs market - don't come and work here unless you're comfortable with casual racism
66
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How can the bnpp legal leadership team talk about values and respect in the workplace, when it allows senior staff to stay at the bank, with evidence that this is the sort of language they use against their own colleagues.