Warner Music Group terminated the employment contract of Scott Maclachlan, a senior VP of A&R in its Australian office, after an investigation into sexual harassment claims, a rep for the company confirms to PvNew. The British-born Maclachlan is widely credited with discovering Grammy-winning singer Lorde and managing her at his Saiko Management until 2016.
The news was first reported by the New Zealand publication Stuff and Music Business Worldwide.
“Warner Music is committed to providing a safe, professional environment for all our team,” the company said in a statement. “Our Code of Conduct is very clear regarding harassment of any kind. All allegations are treated seriously and action is taken if any employee’s behavior has breached that code. We investigated what we believed to be an isolated incident in 2018, with the assistance of an external expert, and we went further than they advised with disciplinary actions. Now that we’ve learned about these additional incidents, we’ve terminated Scott Maclachlan’s employment contract with immediate effect.”
After working in the British music business for two decades, Maclachlan moved to New Zealand in 2008, where he began working with Lorde when she was 13 years old. Asked about the reasons for the split in 2016, Maclachlan said, “I can’t talk about because there are ongoing legal issues that I don’t want to compromise.”
He was named senior VP of A&R at Warner Music Australiain May 2018, however several months later he was demoted and banned from the company’s offices and even concerts by Warner artists after the company launched an investigation into reports of sexual harassment. While Warner said it initially believed the incident to be an isolation one, the Stuff report uncovered additional claims that led to Maclachlan’s termination.
A former Saiko employee, Amy Goldsmith, says, “He would insinuate he wanted more [than a professional relationship]; he would comment on my body, he would ask whether I wanted to kiss him. Most of the time I just told him to shut up.”
Stuff cites Maclachlan as confirming those claims and admitting to “years of harmful behavior,” saying he is “in intensive psychotherapy.”
He told the publication, “I do accept the harmful impact of my past behavior and I try every day to repair the damage and prevent it happening again.”
He says he is receiving treatment for alcoholism and trying “to live a simpler, less egotistical life,” sadding, “There’s not a day goes by that I don’t regret the harm I have caused people around me and most importantly the pain and embarrassment I have caused my wife and children.”
