University vice chancellor voices shock at Presidents Club dinner activity

A university vice chancellor who attended the now infamous Presidents Club charity dinner where hostesses were allegedly sexually harassed has voiced he shock at the behaviour which went on at the all-male event.

Prof George Holmes, from the University of Bolton, said he came into direct contact with the undercover Financial Times journalist Madison Marriage, who broke the story.

At last week’s event, female hostesses were told to wear short black skirts, high heels and black underwear and were encouraged to drink while “entertaining” guests, after signing non-disclosure agreements, it has been reported.

Celebrities on the guest list included Bolton TV presenter Vernon Kay, Dragons’ Den stars Peter Jones and Theo Paphetis and former dragon Touker Suleyman, owner of the Hawes & Curtis fashion chain which has an outlet in King Street, Manchester.

There is no suggestion that Prof Holmes or any of the people named on the list participated in sexual harassment.

A statement from the University of Bolton said: “Prof Holmes recalls expressing at the time (to the woman now known as Maddison Marriage) that both personally and also in the current context (in 2018, particularly post the Harvey Weinstein allegations) he was uncomfortable with the totally unexpected influx of hostess staff and certain auction lots.

“The undercover reporter has confirmed subsequently to a fellow journalist and editor, that Prof Holmes ‘looked pretty shocked’.”

The statement said Prof Holmes’ attendance was on the basis of an invited guest to the charity fundraising dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel.

“More specifically, he was a gest of one of the university’s key business sponsors, who hosted and paid for the table,” it said.

Prof Holmes has never previously attended any event by The Presidents Club and is not a member, the statement said.

It went on: “Prof Holmes has further confirmed that another member of the hostess staff also served him a drink whilst he was dining and when he asked her what she thought of the event, she similarly indicated to him that she was uneasy with the event.

“She stated that she was particularly nervous about descriptions she had been given of the ‘after party’ which she had heard from other hostess staff who had worked at the event in previous years.

“This prompted Professor Holmes to seek out and speak with one of the event staff team leaders, expressing his concern that some of her staff were uncomfortable.

“Although Prof Holmes did not witness any of the assaults subsequently alleged in the press, he chose to leave as soon as was politely possible at the end of the charity auction after he fulfilled his role to network with a number of key influential individuals as required of him when he attends such public events.

“Prof Holmes has confirmed that he did not and, more importantly, chose not to participate in the post dinner ‘after party’ which he had been unaware of when he accepted the invitation to the black tie dinner, and he returned to his family who were with him in London.”