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Whistleblower alleges retaliation following harassment complaint
A senior Google employee has accused the tech giant of retaliating against her after she reported a manager who shared explicit personal stories with clients and displayed a nude photo of his wife during work interactions. Victoria Woodall, a former industry head in Google UK's Sales and Agencies team, filed a claim with an employment tribunal detailing a campaign of reprisals she says followed her whistleblowing.
Manager's conduct and internal findings
Woodall's complaint centered on a manager who, according to court documents, boasted to a female client during a business lunch about his sexual encounters with Black women and described his and his wife's swinger lifestyle. The client, who found the conversation unprompted and inappropriate, reported the incident to Woodall in August 2022. A second complaint soon followed, alleging the same manager showed another female client a photo of his wife's genitals while scrolling through his phone.
Google's internal investigation, which included interviews with 12 individuals, substantiated multiple instances of sexual harassment. The manager was found to have touched two female colleagues without consent at a work event-rubbing one's back and shoulders and another's leg-and made inappropriate comments, including propositioning a colleague by suggesting a sexual encounter in a bathroom that his wife would "enjoy hearing about." He was dismissed for gross misconduct, while his line manager and another senior colleague received documented coaching for failing to intervene.
Allegations of a 'boys' club' culture
Woodall's claim also highlighted what she described as a "boys' club" environment within Google's UK team. Among her allegations: the company had funded a men-only "chairman's lunch" until December 2022. Google countered that an internal review found no evidence of such a culture and noted the event was discontinued for policy misalignment.
In May 2023, Woodall escalated her concerns to Debbie Weinstein, then vice president of Google UK and Ireland, who reportedly reacted with shock. Court documents show Weinstein messaged an HR colleague after their meeting: "Just met Vicki [Woodall]. Holy moly. Want to get you for 10 mins today."
Retaliation claims and redundancy
Woodall alleges her boss, Matt Bush, retaliated against her shortly after she filed the harassment complaint. According to her claim, Bush pressured her to swap her successful client account for a struggling one previously managed by a colleague later disciplined for failing to report the misconduct. She described the move as a "poisoned chalice" that left her vulnerable to redundancy.
In November 2023, as Google prepared for a broader reorganization, Woodall claims Weinstein urged Dyana Najdi, managing director for UK and Ireland advertising, to "keep pushing... for solution on how you can run a process including agency [Woodall's team]... gotta use this as a chance to exit people." Messages submitted to the tribunal show the exchange.
Woodall was made redundant in March 2024 alongside the second senior manager implicated in the misconduct investigation. She remains employed by Google but is on long-term sick leave for work-related stress. The company denies targeting her for whistleblowing, stating her role was one of 26 eliminated across her team and department. Google also disputes that Weinstein sought her dismissal, calling her supportive and citing her initiation of the agency team's culture review.
Google's response and tribunal outlook
Google has denied all allegations of retaliation, arguing Woodall became "paranoid" after whistleblowing and misinterpreted routine business decisions as retaliatory. The company acknowledges her report qualified as whistleblowing but maintains subsequent actions-including account reassignments and redundancies-were standard procedures.
A judgment from the London Central Employment Tribunal is expected in the coming weeks.
