A former government at Kuda, one in every of Nigeria’s main fintech startups, has filed a lawsuit at an employment tribunal in the UK alleging a poisonous work tradition, gender discrimination, and retaliatory dismissal. Rosemary Hewat, the corporate’s former group chief folks officer, claims in court docket paperwork seen by TechCabal that Kuda Applied sciences Restricted and its CEO, Babatunde Ogundeyi, fostered an surroundings the place ladies had been belittled, discriminated towards, and sidelined. Her lawsuit additionally alleges that she was denied inventory choices beneath phrases promised to her male colleagues and was fired after elevating considerations about office remedy.
The allegations starkly distinction Kuda’s public picture as a champion of gender inclusivity. The Goal World-backed startup has promoted its efforts to recruit and retain feminine expertise, and Hewat, who joined the corporate in 2021, was a key determine in these initiatives. In March 2023, she introduced that Kuda had reached a 1:1 ratio of female-to-male staff. Nonetheless, her lawsuit describes a piece tradition the place ladies had been routinely undermined and excluded.
Hewat’s lawsuit paints an image of a hostile work surroundings beneath Ogundeyi’s management. She alleges he made disparaging remarks about feminine staff, publicly humiliated two feminine colleagues throughout a December 2023 technique retreat, and described them as “low class” for his or her lack of publicity to luxurious. She additional claims that Ogundeyi inspired a tradition of worry, stating that staff “see him as God” and are “afraid to method him.”
Kuda, which has a registered UK entity, confirmed Hewat had filed a lawsuit, however declined to touch upon the allegations.
“Consistent with our present coverage and out of respect for privateness, we don’t touch upon issues of this nature involving present or former staff,” the corporate’s spokesperson wrote in an e-mail to TechCabal. Hewat additionally declined requests for feedback.
A key level in Hewat’s lawsuit includes her worker inventory possession plans (ESOPs). She claims Kuda didn’t honour a contractual settlement to grant her shares on the Collection A worth, as a substitute providing them on the greater Collection B valuation, whereas a male colleague, Steven Bastian, had his phrases adjusted to mirror the extra beneficial Collection A worth. In response to the lawsuit, Ogundeyi justified this discrepancy by stating that Bastian’s function as Group CFO was “extra necessary” than Hewat’s.
Hewat alleges that she was systematically sidelined after elevating considerations about these points. She was excluded from a key technique assembly in January 2023 regardless of her function as the corporate’s prime HR government. Over time, Pavel Khristolubov, Kuda’s group chief working officer, allegedly took over facets of her job whereas harassing and undermining her. Ogundeyi allegedly dismissed her considerations when she complained, telling her to “spend the subsequent six months getting Khristolubov to love her.”
Her dismissal got here quickly after she filed a proper grievance concerning the ESOP challenge in December 2023. On February 20, 2024, she was fired whereas en path to an government retreat in Nigeria. She alleges that her dismissal was sudden and unjustified and that Kuda tried to border it as redundancy with out following any choice standards. Regardless of this, her function remained throughout the firm, with different staff anticipated to take over her tasks.
Including to the contradictions, Kuda’s chief technical officer, Mutairu Mustapha, reportedly advised her the termination was a “mistake” and urged her to return to work.
Kuda has not publicly responded to the allegations. Nonetheless, Ogundeyi allegedly cited cost-cutting measures as a cause for Hewat’s dismissal, pointing to the sharp devaluation of the naira in 2024. Hewat disputes this declare, arguing that the corporate continued discretionary spending, together with using a nanny for Ogundeyi’s youngsters at Kuda’s expense.
Hewat’s lawsuit alleged these occasions took a toll on her psychological and bodily well being, citing melancholy, panic assaults, and insomnia. She is looking for monetary compensation for misplaced advantages, emotional misery, and punitive damages for what she describes as egregious misconduct. The precise compensation Hewat is demanding is just not laid out in court docket paperwork.
Ngozi Chukwu is a reporter at TechCabal. She might be reached at ngozi@bigcabal.com. She is on Twitter at @NgoziChukwu_