Corporate executives are under scrutiny in connection with the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Among them are a director known for driving an Aston Martin with a “Bond” number plate and an executive who acquired a €7.5 million seafront mansion just one year after the disaster. This comes as disturbing text messages exchanged by their employees come to light.
Executives at companies associated with the fatal Grenfell Tower refurbishment have continued to generate substantial profits, amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds, in the years following the tragedy.
The inquiry into the disaster has exposed a deeply problematic corporate culture within both the construction sector and the industry responsible for manufacturing the flammable materials used on Grenfell’s exterior.
Notably, a significant collection of emails and messages presented to the inquiry revealed that employees at one of the principal firms deliberately misled customers regarding the safety of building materials, while construction companies exhibited a reckless disregard for fire safety.
The president of Arconic, the company responsible for manufacturing the flammable cladding panels implicated by the inquiry in exacerbating the Grenfell Tower fire, admitted during his testimony that staff had “misled” and “lied” to customers about the fire resistance of its products.
Despite their significant role in the tragedy, which resulted in the loss of 72 lives, it was disclosed earlier this year that 10 senior executives at the building material manufacturing firms have collectively amassed over £300 million since the fire in June 2017.
Among them is a director who drives an Aston Martin with a James Bond-themed number plate and another executive who purchased a €7.5 million seafront mansion just one year after the disaster.
