The former lover of WiseTech CEO Richard White has broken her silence after the billionaire stood down following a series of sex scandal allegations.
Mr White, 69, finally settled his long-running legal dispute with his former lover, laser clinic entrepreneur Linda Rogan on Tuesday.
The conclusion of the damaging court case, in which Ms Rogan alleged Mr White offered to invest in her business in exchange for sex, was not enough to save his position as CEO following weeks of lurid headlines.
It was announced on Thursday that Mr White will take ‘a short period’ of personal leave before taking on a new advisory role in the company he founded 30 years ago.
On Saturday afternoon, Ms Rogan, 52, broke her silence with a cryptic nine-word statement on her Instagram story, which she later deleted.
‘I had to go to war for this peace,’ Ms Rogan wrote across a black background.
She added: ‘So many messages of love and support. Thank you.’
Ms Rogan, who owns a laser clinic at Double Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, says she met Mr White, 69, through his wife Zena Nasser.
Ms Logan had claimed Mr White later offered to invest in her business in exchange for sex.
She launched a Federal Court battle over a $13.1million mansion she claimed that Mr White had bought for her to live in with her three children, at Vaucluse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Ms Rogan, who never moved into the house, claimed he took back the keys after his partner Zena Nasser discovered they were in a sexual relationship.
Last year, Ms Rogan successfully sought a local court order that 69-year-old Mr White reimburse her for $92,123 she allegedly spent on furnishing the Vaucluse house.
Mr White had the order overturned and in August, issued a bankruptcy notice against Ms Rogan, which she was seeking to have set aside.
Mr White, later settled the matter with the beauty entrepreneur.
Ms Rogan, who owns laser clinics in Sydney, Cairns and New Zealand, claimed that she met him through his partner Ms Nasser, a former criminal defence lawyer.
Ms Nasser allegedly sent Ms Rogan an Instagram message in June 2022 which said: ‘We have some mutual friends and you came up on my page… I don’t do this ever but I was like ‘I have to message this stunning lady x.’
A month later, Ms Nasser visited her Rose Bay clinic Bionik Wellness and introduced her to Mr White over Facetime.
In court documents Ms Rogan, said her relationship with Mr White became sexual and he offered to purchase a Vaucluse property for her.
Mr White allegedly told Ms Rogan: ‘The structure will ensure that no one will trace the property back to me or you. Zena will never know I own this house.
‘You will live in this house forever,’ Mr White allegedly told Ms Rogan after his lawyer bought it for $13.1million.’
Ms Rogan alleged as she prepared to move into the house the following month she received a message from Ms Nasser, who said: ‘You didn’t have to lie…
‘Richard admitted it… please don’t come near me again.’
Mr White’s legal battle with Ms Rogan had a devastating impact on his company, which is worth more than $37billion.
Around $6billion was wiped from the company’s market value on Monday and Mr White’s estimated $9.7billion wealth dropped by about $2billion when the shares plummeted.
Recent publicity about Mr White’s personal life prompted the WiseTech board to review ‘the full range of matters’ while ‘seeking further information and taking external advice’.
Mr White will take ‘a short period’ of personal leave before taking on a new advisory role in the company he founded 30 years ago.
‘It has been a challenging time for me personally, my family and close friends, and for the company that I have built and truly love,’ he said in a statement to the ASX.
‘I want to assure all those who have supported WiseTech, as customers, colleagues, and shareholders, that I remain absolutely committed to seeing this incredible organisation continue to thrive and grow in the coming years.’
WiseTech’s board said that they had agreed to the tech company founder stepping down with chief financial officer Andrew Cartledge to assume the role of interim chief executive.
Wise Tech chair Richard Dammery said Mr White had ‘put the company and its shareholders first’ with his decision to step down.
‘Richard has consistently demonstrated a rare combination of foresight, intellect, capability and ambition,’ Mr Dammery said.
‘All great entrepreneurs achieve what others consider to be impossible, and Richard has most certainly done this at WiseTech.’
The board confirmed that Mr White will ‘participate’ at its annual general meeting on November 22 and its investor day on December 3.
WiseTech has 18,000 customers across 170 countries.