Former WiseTech Global chair Andrew Harrison returns as independent director

Former WiseTech Global chairman Andrew Harrison has returned to the board he departed just a year ago to fill the role of lead independent director.

The $27 billion software logistics giant has been left scrambling to fill seats around the boardroom table following the shock departure of four directors who abruptly quit their posts in protest over the ongoing role of controversial founder Richard White.

Chair Richard Dammery and fellow non-executive members Lisa Brock, iinet founder Michael Malone and Fiona Pak-Poy walked away after the company released its half-year results in late February citing “intractable differences in the board and differing views” on Mr White’s future role at WiseTech.

Mr White — WiseTech’s biggest shareholder with 36.7 per cent as of December — quit as chief executive and resigned from the board in October amid revelations about his conduct, including allegations that used his influence to gain sexual favours, and paid for a multimillion-dollar house for an employee that he had been in a relationship with.

He regained control of the company days after the four board members walked but promised investors he was back for “the long haul”.

WiseTech on Monday said Mr Harrison — who chaired the company for nine years until March 2024 — would take over as lead independent director from recently re-appointed director and major shareholder Mike Gregg.

“Given Andrew’s prior tenure and role as chair of WiseTech and his skillset and depth of experience with the company, he will be able to make a substantial and immediate contribution to the continuity and governance of the company,” WiseTech said.

Mr Harrisn will also serve as a member of the board’s audit and risk committee and as chair of the people and remuneration committee.

He will be joined by Chris Charlton, who spent 35 years in customs and international trade, with the last 26 years at United Parcel Service.

“Throughout his career Chris has developed a deep understanding of CargoWise and the way WiseTech Global develops its products and interacts with customers and the logistics industry,” WiseTech said.

As a sign of growing unease in some quarters over Mr White’s return to a position of management control as executive chair, AustralianSuper last week revealed it had sold its remaining $580 million stake in WiseTech.

The super fund, an investor in WiseTech since its 2016 share market float, said the last of what had been a 2.6 per cent stake in the company had been offloaded in recent weeks “because recent developments have not met our expectations”.

AustralianSuper’s head of Australian equities, Shaun Manuell, said WiseTech’s governance had fallen short of the fund’s expectations.

The findings of a board-commissioned independent investigation by law firm Seyfarth Shaw and released earlier this month showed Mr White made incomplete and, at times, misleading disclosures about personal relationships.

The board’s decision to take no further action, despite admitting three separate matters are yet to be investigated, was criticised by the Australian Shareholders Association.

Shares in the company are down more than 40 per cent since the accusations about Mr White’s conduct were made public late last year. They shed a further 10 percent since his return to the board.

They were trading up 0.6 per cent to $80.53 at 9.40am.