A TEENAGE Scot has been ousted as a non-executive director at Nisa Retail in the wake of a leak of member's data last autumn.
Harris Aslam, who left school with no qualifications and tried to run for the chief executive's job, and his cousin Raza Rehman, 24, departed the Nisa board last week reportedly following an investigation by EY and Kroll.
The probe looked into the circulation of a spreadsheet containing shopkeepers' details and online passwords in the run-up to Nisa's annual meeting last year. A statement sent to Nisa members said the two men "had acted improperly and have left the board".
Mr Aslam, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, had tried and failed in his bid to succeed Neil Turton, who announced he was leaving the chain after 23 years last year.
He had worked for his family's grocery business after leaving school aged 13 and joined Nisa's board three years later.
Nisa has annual sales of £1.6 billion and supplies more than 1,000 independent shops with food and drink.
Its mutual model allows its hundreds of members to vote for the company directors.
Mr Aslam won a place on the board after lobbying Nisa's grassroots membership. His cousin Raza Rehman also joined the board.
He previously worked as a youth board director at B&Q and was studying for a law degree at Abertay University, Dundee, as well as a part time Master of Arts degree at St Andrews University.
He had been running three shops in the Fife area with Mr Rehman and planned to take over six post offices.
The Nisa website described Mr Aslam as having "vast experience in the retail industry, with his family being involved in the sector for over 40 years, helping him to gain experience from a young age".
It added: "After starting off as a part time shop floor worker, he quickly worked up the ladders and within two years, he was given complete control of the day-to-day management of Scotland's largest independent supermarket in Dundee. After building the business up, helping it to reach peak turnovers, Harris then supported the business to expand, opening five more stores in a three year period."
The Nisa board, chaired by Christopher Baker, has spaces for up to nine non-executive directors drawn from the membership.
The timing of the leak was reportedly related to the annual meeting in September, when there was fierce rivalry between factions seeking to elect their preferred candidates.
Nisa's note to members said it was still looking into whether there had been a breach of its voting processes, which are outsourced to Capita.
Mr Baker is understood to have called in former City minister Lord Myners, who chaired Marks & Spencer, to lead a review of Nisa's governance.
He orchestrated a review of the Co-operative Group last year which had been mired in controversy with its banking arm facing near-collapse last year and the resignation of chief executive Euan Sutherland in March.
Mr Baker said: "It's clear from the degree of politicking that surrounds our AGM, and some of the comments we get from members, that we need to ask ourselves whether we have got the best possible means of interacting with members in the totality of our governance structures."
He has asked Lord Myners to look at the make-up of Nisa's board and committees, and to report back in April.
Nisa has announced Nick Read will take over as chief executive following the departure of Neil Turton this month.
Mr Baker said: "Nick is an experienced leader with a cross-sector understanding of shopper behaviour. His skills and insight will be invaluable to our business as we continue to develop as a retail organisation."
Nisa declined to comment.
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