McKinsey Removes Chris Bradley From Leadership Over Glass Cliff Posts

McKinsey & Company removed senior Australian partner Chris Bradley from his leadership roles, including his board position at the McKinsey Global Institute and several internal committees, following an internal conduct review. The disciplinary action follows LinkedIn posts Bradley made last month questioning the glass cliff phenomenon, a theory suggesting women are more likely to be appointed as CEOs of companies already in crisis.

In the now-deleted posts, Bradley described the concept as "a very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain" and stated that researching the issue did not rank among the "top 1000 problems of the world." These comments sparked a public exchange with Julia Carreon, co-author of "Walking on Broken Glass," who accused Bradley of wilful ignorance.

While Bradley remains a senior partner at the firm, he has been stripped of his research leadership and internal committee duties. McKinsey spokesperson Taylor Burns stated that Bradley's public comments "fell well short of the standards we expect at our firm."

The action contrasts with the firm's history of researching workplace gender challenges, which includes a decade-long partnership with the Lean In advocacy group for its "Women in the Workplace" study.