Richard White—WiseTech co-founder Richard White resigned as executive chair after AFP investigation and board finding he misled directors about relationships
Australian Federal Police's human exploitation taskforce opened an investigation into WiseTech Global co-founder Richard White, reported June 19, 2026, following a complaint from a former executive at a company he controls. The allegations, which White has emphatically denied, include coercing a financially and immigration-vulnerable woman into a relationship and providing false information on a visa application; no charges have been filed. Separately, a WiseTech board review found White had misled the board about the nature of several personal relationships. White stepped down as executive chair effective July 7, 2026 while remaining on the board as an executive director and chief innovation officer; independent director Raelene Murphy became chair. WiseTech shares had fallen more than two-thirds since early 2025 amid the reporting, then rose 8.1% on the resignation announcement. A prior 2024-2025 board review had cleared White of separate allegations of misappropriating company funds and improper relationships with staff.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Gender Equity | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.643 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
The Guardian / ABC News: WiseTech's Richard White resigns as chair amid AFP investigation and board findings
The Guardian and ABC News reported Richard White resigned as WiseTech Global's executive chair on July 7, 2026 after an Australian Federal Police human exploitation taskforce investigation into allegations he denies, and after a board review found he had misled directors about the nature of several relationships.