£2.8m in exit payments for Olympic executives

-

The financial reports of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) show 144 officials were paid a share of more than £2m ahead of the authority winding down in 2014.

Exit payments, to staff on permanent contracts, cost £2.8m in 2012-13, the Annual Report and Accounts said.

Dennis Hone, the ODA’s chief executive, who was made redundant at the end of March, was paid an exit payment of £80,000, as well as an immediate pension of £373,000.

The ODA’s Annual Report and Accounts said that Mr Hone, now chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, was entitled to statutory redundancy pay and a terminal bonus equivalent to 60% of his salary.

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

It said: “The Remuneration Committee decided to award a terminal bonus of 49% of his salary and to defer 50% of the bonus until the successful completion of the sale of East Village to QDD.”

The ODA’s director of transport, Hugh Sumner, also received £73,000 in exit payments, while director of venues and infrastructure Simon Wright received £72,000.

An ODA spokesman said: “London 2012 was a unique and challenging project and a great British success story and we needed to recruit and pay for the best talent from the private and public sectors, requiring people in many cases to give up secure long-term jobs elsewhere, with no certainty of the project’s success or getting a job after the Games.

“The exit payments for staff other than our former chief executive, Dennis Hone, are limited to statutory redundancy pay, any leave they were unable to take before their employment ended, and, where appropriate, payment in lieu of notice.

“We had to adopt a flexible approach to managing staff contracts to ensure that key people, especially directors, remained with the project throughout periods critical to its success, until such time as the ODA could be certain that their skills and knowledge were no longer required. Our staff delivered this huge project on time and under budget – in fact making savings of over £1 billion for the public purse.

“Like other staff, Dennis Hone received performance-related pay, but this was far from guaranteed and was measured against tough performance criteria, evaluated personally and in relation to the organisation he successfully led in the critical 18 months up to the Games, during London 2012 and immediately after. Pension payments made in relation to Dennis Hone were legal and contractual obligations under the scheme of which he was a member throughout his employment at the ODA.”

Latest news

Personalising the Benefits Experience: Why Employees Need More Than Just Information

This article explores how organisations can move beyond passive, one-size-fits-all communication to deliver relevant, timely, and simplified benefits experiences that reflect employee needs and life stages.

Grant Wyatt: When the love dies – when staying is riskier than quitting

When people fall out of love with their employer, or feel their employer has fallen out of love with them, what follows is rarely a clean exit.

£30bn pension savings window opens for employers ahead of 2029 reforms

UK employers could unlock billions in National Insurance savings by expanding pension salary sacrifice schemes before new limits take effect in 2029.

Expat jobs ‘fail early as costs hit $79,000 per worker’

International assignments are ending early due to family strain, isolation and poor preparation, as rising costs increase pressure on employers.
- Advertisement -

The Great Employer Divide: What the evidence shows about employers that back parents and carers — and those that don’t

Understand the growing divide between organisations that effectively support working parents and carers — and those that don’t. This session shows how to turn employee experience data into a clear business case, linking care-related pressures to performance, retention and workforce stability.

Scott Mills exit puts spotlight on risk of ‘news vacuum’ in high-profile dismissals

Sudden departure of a long-serving BBC presenter raises questions about how employers manage high-profile dismissals and limit speculation.

Must read

Henry Clinton-Davis: Employers need to be on their toes to deal with new rights to work flexibly

"HR professionals need to be aware that the law on flexible working has changed with effect from 6 April 2024 and in some very important ways..."

Prithvi Shergill: Millennial workplace wish list

All too often businesses place too much emphasis on...
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you