New ‘Toxic’ Workplace Culture Report Surfaces

New claims surfaced on the weekend of a “toxic” workplace culture at Sony Music.

An article published Saturday in Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph claims that formal complaints were made about Sony Music Australia and New Zealand Chair and CEO Vanessa Picken, and that an earlier, separate investigation was launched into her behaviour, which cleared her of any wrongdoing.

Sony Music is aware of the report. “During this chapter of significant transition for our Australian company, it is inevitable that there will be hurdles to overcome in the workplace,” reads a statement to The Music Network, issued by Sony Music Entertainment’s corporate communications team in New York.

“We continue to take any concerns within this environment seriously and look into them thoroughly and fairly,” the message continues.

“With any type of inquiry, following our internal practices, policies, and adhering to local laws, we are conscious at all times of meeting our legal and governance obligations, respecting confidentiality and personal privacy. Any assertions made to the contrary are false.”

According to the Telegraph, some employees are said to have accused Picken of undermining senior employees, making inappropriate statements about people on maternity leave, and saying “rude and demeaning remarks” about staff. The major music company reportedly engaged external counsel to conduct an investigation into those complaints, which, several months ago, ultimately found no evidence of wrongdoing.

A “second tranche” of complaints has been made by staff, the report notes, including some delivered to an anonymous whistleblower hotline.

Picken has responded to the report.

“Since my appointment in 2022, my mandate as CEO and Chair of Sony Music Australia is to lead the cultural transformation of the company. That task was urgent, complex, and central to Sony Music’s future in this region,” remarks Picken in a statement, seen by TMN.

“With the support of an executive team, I have sought to implement a program of cultural reform focused on transparency, respect, and accountability and I am proud of our achievements to date.

“Meaningful cultural change is challenging, but as we strive for continuous improvement across the business we are also invested in staff engagement, diversity and inclusion.

“I acknowledge that there is always more to do.”

Picken took the top job at Sony Music’s domestic operations in June 2022, following the well-publicised removal of Denis Handlin, who had served with the company for 51 years, including 37 at the helm.

Handlin’s ouster was made public in June 2021, following a string of reports published in the national press that addressed multiple instances of a “toxic” culture and bad behaviour at Sony Music’s ANZ HQ, and the broadcast of a damning ABC “Four Corners” investigation, one that brought the record industry, briefly, into the public conversation.

Variety AU/NZ does not suggest any of the complaints were made about Handlin personally or that the complaints made under the leadership of the CEOs are the same.

The Music Network described Picken’s appointment at the time as a “reset,” noting that the music industry professional “knows the music industry inside-out”, and came into the gig with “international clout and a stack of experience working with majors and indies”.

Also, when she signed her contract, Picken became the first female boss of the music major. Earlier in 2025, Picken was lauded in Billboard’s Global Power Players list, a salute to several milestones overseen at the business that included the signing in March of Sydney-based electronic trio Mansionair to a worldwide deal, plus 2024 deals with Angus & Julia Stone, Gang Of Youths, Dylan Wright, and Birdz & Fred Leone; the launch of Sony Music Masterworks ANZ, a live music and experiential division; and more.

The article published in The Daily Telegraph was penned by senior reporter Nathanael Cooper, who led the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage of internal strife at Sony Music ANZ which led up to the departure of Handlin and several other executives. Following a two-and-a-half year stint in PR, Cooper returned to journalism full-time in June 2025 with the Daily Telegraph.