Employment Tribunal has filed Kuda TechnologyIt is one of Africa’s fastest growing digital banks, scrutinizing allegations of workplace discrimination, harassment and unlawful firing. Rosemary Hewat, former group chief people (CPO), of Kuda, accused the company and its CEO Babatunde Ogundeyi, of sexism, victimization and unfair dismissal.
According to the document, Hewat, who had held a senior position for nearly three years, claimed that the company forced her to leave in April 2024 after prolonged abuse. She filed a lawsuit with the UK Employment Court, and TechCrunch reviewed the legal documents.
The complaint shows that Kuda’s internal conflict provides digital banking services to millions of customers in Nigeria and the UK, which has also raised greater concerns about workplace culture, leadership responsibilities and gender equality in the African tech industry.
When commented, Hwat refused to discuss the case on the grounds of ongoing legal proceedings. The full hearing is scheduled for October.
“To be precise, Rosemary Hewat, a former employee of Kuda Technologies Limited UK, has filed an employment court claim against the company,” a Kuda spokesperson said in a response to TechCrunch.
“As it is currently a legal issue, we are unable to provide any other information at the moment. In line with our current policies and respect for privacy, we do not comment on this nature involving current or former employees.
HEWAT was hired in August 2021 to manage the global HR business from the Kuda UK office. According to the document, she witnessed and experienced discriminatory practices that contradict Kuda’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. She claimed that the CEO of Ogundeyi and other senior leaders deliberately undermined her role, promoting a culture of misogyny and intimidation.
For example, the document describes a company retreat in Lagos, Nigeria in December 2023. Hewat claims Ogundeyi publicly accused two female employees. He allegedly called them “low-level” and accused them of lack of “quality or luxury”, causing them to shed tears.
Hewat, according to the document, insists that the incident is part of a broader model, which makes Kuda’s workplace “scary, hostile, hostile, degenerate, humiliating and offensive”.
The complaint also describes how Ogundeyi allegedly saw herself in Kuda. Hewat claims he repeatedly told her that employees viewed him as “God” and were afraid to approach him.
Hwat said senior management excluded her from key strategic discussions. In January 2023, then-Pavel Hechristolubov allegedly pulled her out of the senior management meeting, although her team handled the resource decision on the agenda.
When she reportedly questioned her exclusion, Ogundi told her that the meeting was about product strategy that made her presence unnecessary. Soon after, her team was under pressure to force the implementation of resource decisions at the conference.
Afterwards, Khristolubov allegedly bypassed Hewat’s authority by working directly with members of her team, the document said. Ogundeyi reportedly dismissed Ogundeyi and Cto Mutairu Mustapha.
In the performance commentary, Ogundeyi told her “spending to make Pavel like you for the next six months”. Hewat argues in the document that this further exacerbated the toxic work environment and hindered her ability to play her own role.
By October 2023, HEWAT formally proposes to review the internal system to address her issues with Khristolubobov. Ogundi was allegedly fired to threaten her without contact with her concerns.
Equity Compensation Dispute
The center of Hewat’s complaint is an unresolved dispute about its employee stock options (ESOP). When she joined Kuda, she claimed the company offered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of ESOP stock in its Series A valuation. But despite multiple requests, she never received formal documents.
Kuda finally released an ESOP grant in April 2022, but it is based on its Series B valuation, which raises the stock price and reduces her equity value according to the documents. She claimed she later discovered Steven Bastian, then CFO (St.
When Hewat raised concerns, Ogundeyi allegedly dismissed her request, saying Bastian’s role was “more important” than hers.
In December 2023, HEWAT officially recorded her concerns about the application (and paid for the difference). She warned Kuda that failure to resolve the issue could constitute gender discrimination in the UK’s employment law. In response, Ogundeyi rejected her claim, believing that she has no contract rights to Series A shares.
“As a company, we have noticed that you have not provided any letters (emails, letters, etc.) to confirm your claim, and we believe it is because there is no evidence.”
“The terms of your employment and option grants are listed in writing; even if someone does suggest you that you may receive something different (not accepted), it is not a contractual right.”
Although Ogundeyi promised that Kuda would investigate her complaint, according to the documents, no formal investigation was conducted. Hewat claimed that Ogundeyi refused mediation and personally handled an internal investigation into his behavior, ultimately in his favor. She believes this violates Kuda’s appeal policy and ACAS code of practice in the Workplace Dispute Resolution.
Hewat claims she tried to address concerns in January 2024, and her relationship with her former boss was allegedly deteriorating. She claimed he forced her to withdraw her discrimination complaint, which she refused.
Sudden dismissal and revenge
In February 2024, Kuda suddenly fired Hewat, London, while heading to Lagos to participate in the Executive Committee (EXCO) retreat. She had just attended her sister’s memorial service and was stopping in the middle when Ogundeyi insisted on the video call. Hewat claimed that despite telling him about her situation, he fired her during the conversation,
Kuda allegedly banned Hewat from retreating to the retreat where she fled, which she believed was a intentional attempt to humiliate her. When she later met Ogundeyi in person, he regarded Nigeria’s economic instability and cost-cutting measures as reasons for the firing.
“I’m making some serious changes and certainly needs to change… A lot of personality conflicts and you’re definitely going to be in trouble,” Ogundeyi allegedly told her. He also said: “In the UK, you may be inadequate, but for Kuda you are expensive… What is Rosie’s role in proving her salary? It’s mostly FX’s thing.”
According to the documents, Ogundeyi claimed that her dismissal had nothing to do with a complaint of discrimination, shared allocation or Khristolubov. However, Hewat claims that he is still building her relationship with Khristolubobov. (Khristolubov eventually left Kuda two months after HEWAT in June 2024.)
Hewat claims Kuda offers her the same exit terms as Khristolubov, despite being a contractor for full-time employees. She argued that Kuda fired her for her workplace discrimination complaint, noting that she was the only executive in the UK who was dismissed.
In response to a redundant claim made by Kuda against her later, she countered that the company was not struggling financially, citing its ability to pay Ogundeyi’s child nanny £55,000 a year, according to the documents.
Although Ogundeyi allegedly guaranteed confidentiality, Hewat was fired to spread the news quickly in Kuda. When she sent him an email about the violation, she claimed he ignored her.
CTO Mustapha is allegedly more chaotic, admitting that her firing was a mistake, forced by board members Ricardo Schaefer and Andrew John McCormack. He invites her to return, but the discussion collapses after Kuda rejects her settlement request and delays responding to her “data subject access” request.
Instead, the company sent her a formal redundant consultation letter weeks after she fired, the document said. In the following months, Hewat claimed that Kuda retaliated further by cutting off her salary, canceling her health insurance and withholding her full vacation paycheck.
Hewat, who cannot tolerate a toxic environment, resigned in April 2024 on the grounds of constructive dismissal.
The former CPO’s legal application details how Kuda’s behavior has put her in financial difficulties as the company refuses to pay unpaid wages.
HEWAT is now seeking compensation for unfair dismissals, gender discrimination, emotional distress, and Kuda’s alleged compensation for failure to follow appropriate workplace grievance procedures. She also demanded payment for unpaid leave pay and medical expenses.
The case has allowed Kuda to raise a large amount of risky funds, including 2021 $55 million Series B Major reviews were conducted from investors such as Valar Venture Capital and Target Global, amid increasing investor and regulatory pressures in Africa to improve governance and corporate accountability, first of all, by a series of Workplace conduct allegations triggered Flutterwavethe most valuable startup in Africa, in 2022.
With close observations from investors and the broader technology ecosystem, it could also have a significant impact on the company’s reputation and ability to attract top talent in the future. As for Ogundeyi and the leadership team, they may be conducting an increasing scrutiny of the treatment of female employees.
This is a warning event for other tech companies, and sometimes rapid growth sometimes obscures cracks in internal operations. How Kuda responds to this legal challenge can shape the company’s future trajectory in terms of employee relations and its position in Nigeria and the broader fintech ecosystem.
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