The CEO of a luxury real estate firm has been accused of sexual misconduct by female employees at his company. Staff working at Sotheby's International Realty in the UK have accused their boss, George Azar, 56, of harassment and raised concerns about the wider culture at the company.
Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior
Several allegations against Mr Azar and other senior members of staff have been published in an investigation by Bloomberg. One of the allegations was made by a female property broker who attended a dinner at a private members' club to celebrate the company's recent success. As the night went on, the group reportedly became more rowdy as they consumed increasing amounts of alcohol, with behaviour deteriorating.
Mr Azar, who owns both the UK and Dubai branches of Sotheby's International Realty, at one point allegedly jumped on a table, waving a bottle of champagne around. Later in the evening, Mr Azar reportedly sat down with a female employee, around 20 years his junior, and commented on her body before asking her how much sex she was having. As the night progressed, Mr Azar allegedly started talking in a sexual manner about another female member of staff, telling the group he wanted to perform sexual acts with her. Two senior male employees are said to have laughed at the comments.
Lack of HR Support
A few days after the night out, the woman approached another manager at the firm to discuss Mr Azar's behaviour and find out the best person in human resources to discuss the complaint with. The manager, who had been on the night out and laughed at Mr Azar's crude comments, said that there were no human resources staff in the UK branch where employees could discuss complaints. Instead, the woman was told she must file complaints via a manager and that she would not be anonymous. Fearful of losing her role at the company, the woman decided to stay silent.
According to Bloomberg, who conducted multiple interviews and reviewed emails and screenshots, former staff said the lack of human resource staff echoed what Mr Azar had previously told employees. Three former staff told the paper that during a staff meeting in 2023, Mr Azar had said: 'If anyone needs to speak with HR, they should jump off the rooftop.' Four people present at a company event in Dubai in 2024 also claimed that Mr Azar said on stage in front of hundreds of staff, 'we have no HR'.
Company Response
Lawyers acting for Mr Azar and the company told Bloomberg that the chief executive did not recall making the alleged remarks and said no formal complaints had been lodged about his conduct. Mr Azar did not respond to the Daily Mail prior to publication. A spokesperson for Sotheby's International Realty added: 'We are aware of the allegations reported regarding UK Sotheby's International Realty, which is independently owned and operated under a franchise agreement. UK Sotheby's International Realty is a luxury property firm that made £1.63 billion in sales last year. We do not tolerate harassment or misconduct of any kind. We take these reports seriously and are looking into the matter with the franchisee.'
Company Background
The company's Dubai franchise did have HR staff, including some who looked after UK-based staff. Yet only a handful of employees on LinkedIn have 'HR' in their title, and none of these staff members appears to be London-based. UK Sotheby's International Realty is a luxury property firm that made £1.63 billion in sales last year; however, huge debts have been mounting and 2024 accounts are overdue.
The property firm was founded as an offshoot from the famous auctioneer house Sotheby's but now has no connection to the firm. The property brokerage firm operates on a franchise basis. Mr Azar owns both the Dubai and UK franchise of Sotheby's International Realty, which has bases across 85 countries in total. He acquired the British franchise in 2023, five years after its initial creation. Since taking ownership, the number of staff members has quadrupled from 25 to 100 in the UK.
Some of its most high-profile clients include Nick Candy, who sold his Chelsea mansion for more than £275 million earlier this year. Last week, Wicked star Ariana Grande reportedly put her £16.95 million Hampstead penthouse on the market with the firm. But away from the firm's sparkling success and expansion, there have reportedly been complaints from disgruntled current and former employees. According to employees who spoke with Bloomberg, the behaviour seen on the Mayfair night out, including lots of drinking and sexual comments, had happened before. Others allegedly made complaints about male managers shouting at staff, people making comments about race, and being told to 'not bother' making complaints about poor behaviour.
