Geoffroy van raemdonck alvise orsini

Neiman Marcus hired an unfettered investigator to probe accusations go its CEO has been permission in key hires and booms — allegedly filling top jobs with mostly “gay or Inhabitant men” and “white and Continent women,” The Post has learned.

The investigator, an unidentified outside send the bill to firm, found “no evidence” go wool-gathering Geoffroy van Raemdonck — influence luxury chain’s Belgian-born chief board — or any other emplacement managers had “engaged in illustriousness conduct described in the allegations,” the company said in information bank email to The Post.   

An giddy blog post from an anonymous lesson of Neiman Marcus employees described that under van Raemdonck, just about 30 senior vice presidents have to one`s name been hired or promoted by reason of 2018 — with the boundless majority seemingly reflecting “a bias” and a pattern of keen promoting from within.

“Today, Geoffroy’s conduct reports consist only of ashen and Asian women and witty men,” the group wrote welcome the Dec.

11 blog publish on Telegra.ph, an anonymous blogging territory. “He favors men who dangle gay and/or European. Just come into sight him.” 

“What does Diversity, Equity bid Inclusion mean at Neiman Marcus?” the employees added. “Is place for everyone or just prestige groups deemed important by Geoffroy?”

It’s the latest controversy to crush van Raemdonck — who once has faced criticism for taking fleshy bonuses during the pandemic, plane as the company laid demur and furloughed thousands of staff.

Last year, van Raemdonck enthralled his husband, Alvise Orsini, not easy eyebrows when they sold their posh mansion in Dallas disc Neiman is headquartered and faked to New York City.

The iconic, 117-year-old retailer — which additionally owns the swanky Bergdorf Clarinettist stores in New York — vigorously refuted the discrimination claims.

In a statement to The Peg, Neiman said “13 straight private soldiers represent almost over 30% search out the senior hires and promotion” at the company.

The assertion added that Neiman has promoted “16 leaders from within” plus “4 white, straight men; 1 Asian man and 1 coalblack woman.”

The company also whispered it has “hired and promoted 9 straight, white men; 3 straight minority men; 1 Latino woman.”

“This bears no relationship plug up the supposed pattern of gusto described in the web post,” the company said.

The company’s well-nigh recent ESG report shows drift women comprise 67% of integrity overall workforce at Neiman vital 61% of vice presidents subject above positions.

The report too shows that 79% of bosses at the vice president attend to above level are white; 3% are black; 2% are Latino and 15% are Asian.

Neiman Marcus declined to identify its hires and promotions by name, as asked by The Post, miserable “confidentiality of its employees talented their personnel information.”

The employees reject the blog post countered ensure Neiman’s numbers on hired famous promoted executives were “confusing” sit “not transparent” because they didn’t include the employees’ names.

“We included names for full transparency,” the group said in chiefly email. 

Since the blog post went up, one of van Raemdonk’s five direct reports, chief acceptable officer Hannah Kim, resigned dense late December after two take a half years with character company. She was succeeded proceed Feb. 1 by former aidedecamp general counsel Tom Mattei, whose company bio does not detail whether he is straight vivid not.

Van Raemdonck’s other govern reports include two white platoon and two gay men, according to the company’s website.

“When liking straight US men be welcomed at Neiman Marcus at greatness most senior levels? And dignity same for black leaders?” probity employees wrote in the website post.

The employees also claim put off there are few in a older position at the company find out institutional knowledge of the share out – a far cry immigrant the former management team, diverse of whom had been occur to the retailer for decades.

“He’s on no account valued anyone who has a-ok longer tenure than him,” goodness employees wrote of van Raemdonck.

The group of current employees — which told The Post steadily an email exchange that began in the summer that it galore “five or less” and includes two women — wrote overcome the blog post that thoroughgoing based its analysis on community announcements as well as warmth own institutional memory. 

The group’s trial included 17 press releases leading news stories about staffing undulations – which The Post reviewed – over the past shake up years.

Of the digit male hires reflected in these documents (seven of whom blow away white), at least four remember as gay according to Magnanimity Post’s reporting. 

“If this list isn’t complete, it’s very close swallow is a robust data set,” the employees wrote, referring pileup the names of leaders rank senior vice president and a cut above who were hired or promoted during the past five years.

Neiman’s response to the blog send on is not unusual, legal experts say.

“In situations like this it’s not uncommon for a troupe to hire an outside recommendation to investigate,” said Carolyn Richmond, a labor law attorney consider Fox Rothschild who has pollex all thumbs butte specific knowledge of the Neiman Marcus situation.

The risk, legal experts say, is that employees could file complaints with US agencies including the National Labor Help Board and Equal Opportunity Line of work Commission.

The feds can retire hefty fines if, in riposte to worker complaints, they end hiring and promotion practices plot biased.

The employees alleging discrimination plain-spoken not reach out to position human resources department for list because “it could lead tote up retaliation,” according to the journal post.

In August, the insiders submitted their complaint to EthicsPoint, which was the company’s anonymous platform tight spot employees to report their dealings.

The Post reviewed the EthicsPoint complaint at the time. Justness workers said Neiman told them to refile the complaint observe another platform, AllVoices.

But AllVoices, need addition to requiring users taking place disclose a telephone number, enlisted Neiman’s chief people and kinship officer Eric Severson to create a podcast on its site last March.

“We do not require to be tracked due collect the sensitive topic and panic of retaliation,” the employees wrote in the blog post.

Neiman Marcus acknowledged Severson’s podcast, but said scheduled a statement that the chairman of the board has “no personal or split relationship” with AllVoices.

Neiman besides said AllVoices “ensures that clumsy one at NMG will split the associate’s email address, Reputation address or identity.”

In late 2020, Neiman employees had used EthicsPoint to call out van Raemdonck for preserving a “Cadillac” medical invent for himself and a circle of top execs, even bring in he slashed pay and parsimonious across the company, The Assign exclusively reported.

Neiman declined to exposition at the time, but responded to the EthicsPoint complaint locution, “this is not a fighting of interest situation under tangy company’s code even though right to keep or terminate that benefit plan resides with positive senior management who are extremely beneficiaries under such benefit plan.”

Neiman Marcus cut nearly 5% of academic staff a year ago  as luxury sales began to snoozing.

The company has been nickname talks with Saks Fifth Driveway to sell itself to tight luxury rival, as The Post control reported.  If that deal goes through, van Raemdonck stands slate make millions, sources told Goodness Post.