Updated July 7, 2026 — 4:28pm,first published 10:29amRichard White has given up WiseTech’s chairmanship but remains the dominant figure at the logistics software company he founded, keeping an executive role and his standing as largest shareholder as police and corporate regulators investigate his conduct.The company told the ASX on Tuesday that Raelene Murphy, a non-executive director since January, had been appointed independent chair with immediate effect. White remains on the board as an executive director and continues as chief innovation officer.Richard White is stepping down as chairman of WiseTech but staying on the board.Oscar Colman“Recent personal media attention is creating an unnecessary distraction from the strength of WiseTech’s business,” White said in a statement.“As I have stated previously, I strenuously and unequivocally deny the recent allegations in the media. Further, I am conscious that personal attacks on me in the media that are unconnected to the performance of the company nevertheless have the potential to encourage short-selling activity.”As first revealed by this masthead, White is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police’s human exploitation taskforce over claims he coerced a former WiseTech cleaner into a sexual relationship and provided false information to secure her a visa. He is separately under investigation by the corporate regulator over more than $200 million in share sales, and WiseTech stock has lost about two-thirds of its value in a year.WiseTech shares jumped 8.9 per cent to $38.50 by midday, adding about $1.2 billion to the company’s market value.The company was contacted for further comment.Murphy, who was appointed lead independent director in May, said her experience of working with White was “totally at odds with media reports” and described him as a hard-working and committed founder. She said long-term succession planning was now a board priority while the company retained White’s experience as chief innovation officer.The industry superannuation fund HESTA, a long-standing critic of WiseTech’s governance, welcomed the independent chair but said the company was not yet in the clear. “We acknowledge the appointment of an independent chair to be a positive step in strengthening WiseTech’s board governance and independence, but we believe uncertainty remains for investors,” its chief executive, Debby Blakey, said. The fund said it would keep WiseTech on its watch list and encouraged the company to be “comprehensive and forward-looking in its planned resolution of governance, leadership, regulatory and culture concerns”.The AFP taskforce launched its investigation this year after a complaint from Kathy Phelan, former chief executive of Kyckr, an anti-money laundering compliance firm controlled by White’s private company, RealWise. Phelan alleges White asked her for a company letterhead in December 2023, saying he needed it for tax purposes, then used it to create documentation sponsoring the woman for a visa in a role that did not exist. White has denied the allegations. The woman, who settled an earlier claim against White without any admissions, declined to comment, as did Phelan. This masthead is not suggesting White is guilty of human exploitation or providing false visa documents.The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is separately investigating share trades worth more than $200 million that White made between late December 2024 and February 2025, during a company blackout period. White has said he was acting as a consultant at the time and had obtained legal advice.RBC Capital Markets, which rates WiseTech “outperform” with a $70 price target, called Murphy’s appointment another step towards addressing governance concerns. But its analysts said the market would want ongoing evidence that the refreshed board, chief executive and chief innovation officer were operating independently before any meaningful re-rating of the shares. Adding more independent directors would take the board to five of seven, clearing the two-thirds threshold favoured by proxy advisers.The company said a board review into media allegations about White, begun in late 2024 and completed last year, had been disclosed to the market in three separate announcements. White co-founded WiseTech in 1994 and returned as executive chairman in February last year after four directors quit the board over his continued involvement.HESTA chief executive Debby Blakey.Dion GeorgopoulosHelen Bird, a corporate governance expert at Swinburne University of Technology, said White’s exit from the chair mattered but did not go far enough. As the company’s founder, largest shareholder, an executive and a board member, he still had influence, she said. The move was “a step along the way towards something more significant, but it’s not enough,” Bird said.Bird said a prudent board would have stood White down from the board while he was under investigation, not just moved him out of the chair. “If you were being a prudent board of an ASX-listed company with a cloud over a member of your board that seems to connect up to … potentially criminal offences, you would stand that director down,” she said. “That’s clearly not happening here.” She noted the allegations were unproven and denied.WiseTech, which serves about 22,000 logistics firms in 193 countries and last year bought US rival e2open for $US3.2 billion, is led by chief executive Zubin Appoo. In March, it announced plans to cut about 2000 jobs, a third of its workforce, saying artificial intelligence could take over software development tasks.The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. 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