Former Battersea Power Station CEO case: governance lessons for project teams
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Former Battersea Power Station Development Company chief executive Don O’Sullivan has lodged an unfair dismissal and whistleblowing detriment claim at the London South Employment Tribunal, alleging he was sacked for exposing serious financial misreporting that allegedly flattered the balance sheet of Jersey-registered BPS Holdings. The dispute centres on concerns first raised in November 2024 and discussed at a joint board meeting on 16 December 2024, which O’Sullivan says were later supported by a Moore Kingston Smith forensic accounting report, before his exclusion and suspension that same month. With the £2bn-valued Battersea scheme ultimately owned 80% by Malaysian firms Sime Darby and SP Setia and 20% by Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund, the case is listed for a final hearing in 2029 and is expected to be heavily contested.
Technical Brief
- Ownership structure: BPS Development is 100% owned by Jersey-registered BPS Holdings (40/40/20 share split).
- Asset quantum: the Battersea Power Station estate has reportedly been marketed for sale at up to £2bn.
- Governance: whistleblowing concerns were tabled at a joint London board meeting of both BPSD and BPS Holdings.
- Timeline: O’Sullivan joined as CEO in June 2024 and was dismissed in May 2025.
- Exclusion sequence: he says he was excluded 17 December and formally suspended on 24 December 2024.
- Forensic review: Moore Kingston Smith produced an external forensic accounting report allegedly supporting the misreporting concerns.
- Representation: O’Sullivan is advised by Constantine Law and Nine Chambers; BPSD by Brown Rudnick and 11KBW.
- Tribunal process: London South Employment Tribunal has set a multi‑year timetable with interim case‑management milestones.
Our Take
Battersea Power Station already features in our infrastructure coverage for complex masterplanning changes, with Studio Egret West reworking the final 16 acres of the 42-acre site; a high-profile employment tribunal around its development company will add another layer of governance and reputational risk for future design and construction appointments.
The ownership split of BPS Holding between Sime Darby, SP Setia Berhad and Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund means any prolonged legal dispute in the UK could require alignment across Malaysian institutional investors, potentially slowing major asset decisions such as the reported £2bn sale process.
Statement from Battersea Power Station Development Company
Spokesperson
We strongly deny and are robustly defending the unfounded allegations made by Mr O'Sullivan in the Employment Tribunal.
There are no claims made by Mr O'Sullivan relating to Battersea Power Station Development Company's (BPSDC) accounts.
BPSDC manages the Battersea Power Station estate ultimately on behalf of Battersea Project Holding Company, the holding company of the 42-acre regeneration project.
Battersea Project Holding Company appointed highly regarded forensic accountants to independently investigate historic claims. Whilst the two forensic accountants reports deal with confidential matters, the conclusion reached was that Mr O'Sullivan's concerns were not borne out, no further investigation was warranted and accounting practices employed by Battersea Project Holding Company Limited adhere to international accounting standards. Its accounts have always been audited and signed off by PwC, one of the big four accounting firms.
With the recent appointment of a master planner to shape the remaining 16 acres of the regeneration project, and with construction of two new Gehry-designed buildings set to commence in the coming months, Battersea Power Station is entering its next chapter and looking at how it can evolve the already thriving neighbourhood for the future needs of London and beyond.
Adhering to the confidential nature of Employment Tribunal procedures, we cannot comment on this matter further at this time.
Received March 25, 2026
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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