BNP Paribas London executive keeps job despite naming Asian colleague ‘Hu She’

All eyes are on BNP Paribas this weekend as a senior lawyer manages to keep his job after it was revealed that he referred to an Asian colleague as “Hu She”. 

In a disciplinary inquiry at the French bank last year, Benedict Foster, head of legal for debt and equity at BNP’s London office, was accused of bullying and making racist remarks to his employees.

In emails seen by The Telegraph, Foster called an Asian woman in his team “Hu She” on several occasions.

Sources also reported that he dubbed another Indian colleague as “Biryani”, and used derogatory terms in emails threads to describe his ethnic minority colleagues. 

Foster remained in his position following an internal investigation, and the bank concluded that neither his use of “Hu She” or “Biryani” amounted to racism or discrimination.

Whilst he received a sanction from BNP for his comments, it is understood that it did not refer the comments to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator for conduct in the legal profession. 

“I accept that I have said things to colleagues that were unacceptable. While a full investigation found no racist intent on my part, I understand that certain remarks made by me caused offence”, Foster told The Telegraph.

“I can only apologise for any distress I have caused, accept the appropriate sanction from my employer and commit to doing better in future. I am undertaking additional training and I am committed to ensuring that I deal with colleagues in a more respectful manner.”

However, this is not the first time BNP has come under fire for its culture. 

In 2019, a female BNP banker won a sex discrimination case against the company after telling an employment tribunal that she suffered years of bullying and was paid less than men in comparable roles.