Big Technologies, a publicly traded company specializing in electronic location tagging services for law enforcement, probation, and social care sectors, announced that its chief executive officer, Ian Johnson, will retire and leave the company by the end of July. Johnson, who joined the firm’s board last year to help navigate a complex legal and governance crisis, will remain on to provide transition support. Charles Lewinton, a director involved with the company since 2018, has assumed the role of acting CEO and is expected to be appointed permanently once ongoing disputes are resolved.
The leadership changes come amid an escalating boardroom conflict tied to allegations of stock market fraud involving the company’s founder, Sara Murray. Murray was dismissed as CEO 15 months ago after Big Technologies accused her of having undisclosed connections to offshore entities that reportedly generated more than £100 million when the company went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2021. The company has since initiated legal action against Murray, and the Takeover Panel, a market regulator, is investigating the matter. The Financial Conduct Authority is also involved in reviewing the case.
Central to the dispute is the Murray Trust, an offshore entity with Sara Murray and her daughter Rowena as sole beneficiaries, which controls companies that held a 38 percent stake in Big Technologies prior to its initial public offering. Big Technologies alleges that under Murray’s leadership, she misled stakeholders by claiming no involvement with these companies. The firm asserts Murray engaged in “improperly extracting” over £19 million through fraudulent schemes and provided false testimony to both stock market authorities and the High Court.
Murray, 57, a former government adviser, has strongly denied all claims of wrongdoing, describing the company’s litigation as a destructive pursuit that has diminished shareholder value. She has clarified that while she acknowledges connections to the offshore companies, she neither owns nor controls them, contesting the company’s characterizations of her role.
The underlying conflict also involves a previous legal settlement announced by Big Technologies in January, agreeing to pay £38.5 million to former investors who alleged they were unfairly excluded from benefiting from the company’s 2021 listing. These shareholders claimed that the offshore companies were used to block their reinvestment opportunities following Big’s acquisition of Buddi, the company Murray founded, in 2018. They argued this exclusion prevented them from participating in the company’s subsequent £577 million flotation.
In addition to the CEO’s planned departure, Camilla Macun, a non-executive director, stepped down last week following a shareholder revolt led by Murray. The ongoing corporate governance and legal challenges continue to exert significant pressure on the company’s leadership, as it seeks to stabilize operations and resolve disputes with former executives and investors.