Intimate text messages between a fired Royal Bank of Canada boss and her junior colleague have been revealed amid the latest round of legal wrangling over their secret office relationship.
Canada’s largest lender fired its CFO Nadine Ahn in April after it emerged she had been in a decade-long relationship with her subordinate Ken Mason. The subordinate reportedly received promotions and pay raises as a result of the connection.
Ahn, 53, retaliated earlier this month with a $50 million lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, but the bank hit back on Friday with a counterclaim seeking $4.5 million in “excessive compensation” paid to Mason, 57. Bloomberg.
The latest trial revealed that text messages were exchanged between Ahn and Mason. According to the bank, they exchanged romantic poems and “fantasized about living together, such as reading together in bed.”
RBC said they also called each other pet names — “Prickly Pear” for Ahn and “KD” for Mason — who has also filed a $20 million wrongful termination lawsuit while denying any close relationship with Ahn.
Canada’s largest lender fired its CFO Nadine Ahn (pictured) in April over a long-standing secret relationship with her subordinate, Ken Mason, 57, who reportedly received promotions and pay raises as a result of the connection
Horny text messages between a fired Royal Bank of Canada boss and her junior colleague have been revealed in a shocking lawsuit
The bank alleges that Ahn began an intimate relationship with Mason, an executive in the bank’s corporate treasury department, as early as 2013 and that the relationship continued until her departure earlier this year.
“Ms. Ahn sent romantic poetry to Mr. Mason, in which she expressed that she had fallen in love with Mr. Mason when she first saw him,” according to the lawsuit filed in the Ontario Court of Justice.
‘Ms. Ahn and Mr. Mason continued to see each other outside the office regularly during this period. On August 18, 2017, they hosted a luncheon to celebrate their “fourth anniversary.”‘
The bank also gives examples of ‘intimate communication’ between the two. “On March 11, 2019, Ms. Ahn texted Mr. Mason saying, ‘I love you.’ Mr. Mason responded 15 seconds later, ‘I love you too,’” the filing states.
Ahn was promoted to CFO in 2021, and RBC accuses her of abusing her position to coordinate promotions and pay raises for Mason, which he allegedly called “Project Ken.”
RBC claims her interventions resulted in his salary increasing by 58 percent in the two fiscal years following her promotion, and promoted him to vice president and head of capital and term finance in 2023.
Intimate texts exchanged between a fired Royal Bank of Canada boss and her junior colleague have been revealed amid the latest round of legal wrangling over their secret office relationship
Ahn is also accused of sharing confidential information with her lover, including a draft of a speech CEO Dave McKay was scheduled to give.
According to RBC, the pair also used calendar invites to arrange “liquidity meetings,” code for cocktail plans.
During a “liquidity meeting,” they wrote notes about their drink orders and other topics, including “concert, night out, winery,” on a coaster at Canoe, an upscale restaurant in Toronto’s financial district.
According to RBC, Mason encased the coaster in plexiglass and kept it in his office.
The messages came from the bank’s internal messaging systems, which the pair regularly used to communicate, in addition to their personal devices.
RBC said it launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous whistleblower complaint alleging that Ahn and Mason had an intimate relationship.
Attorneys for Ahn and Mason did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the countersuit.
In her wrongful termination lawsuit, Ahn argued that the bank’s allegations were “patently false” and that her successes, career and reputation had been destroyed by the bank in the blink of an eye.
Katherine Gibson has been appointed interim CFO as the search for a replacement begins
An RBC spokesman said Friday he was disappointed to learn the allegations were true.
Ahn was a “highly respected member” of the executive team with fiduciary responsibilities and the bank had “high confidence in her abilities,” the spokesperson said.
“Contrary to the allegations of Ahn and Mason, the investigation showed that there was an undisclosed close personal relationship and that Ahn abused her authority as CFO to directly benefit Mason,” the spokesman said in a statement, adding that all top executives have a duty to abide by the code of conduct.
RBC paid Ahn about $3 million in fiscal 2023, a 25 percent salary increase from the previous year.
When she was appointed to her former role in 2021, Ahn was the only female CFO at any of the big six Canadian banks.
