Fair Work commissioner criticises Bondi Born founder’s remarks to former operations chief
Dina Shawriah says she resigned as Bondi Born’s head of operations after two months because staff shortages left her overloaded and she faced repeated cutting remarks from founder Dale McCarthy. A Fair Work Commissioner criticised McCarthy’s management style, saying some communications were condescending and that a comment about Shawriah using translation could reasonably be seen as offensive and belittling.
Shawriah was hired in January on a reported package of almost $150,000, with the expectation that warehouse and administrative staff would support her. Instead, she said she handled tasks ranging from shipping and stock checks to basic office duties, including weekend work. McCarthy declined her March request for two additional workers, citing budget limits; a former employee also described poor support and unclear communication, though he did not attend the hearing and his evidence could not be tested.
- Bondi Born’s operations chief resigned after two months.
- She cited staff shortages and critical messages from the founder.
- A Fair Work Commissioner criticised the founder’s management style.
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Bondi Born is an Australian swimwear business founded by Dale McCarthy. Dina Shawriah joined the company in January as head of operations, a role expected to be supported by warehouse and office staff.
The Fair Work Commission is a national workplace tribunal that deals with employment disputes. In this case, Commissioner Chris Horan considered Shawriah’s account of her brief time at the company and McCarthy’s communications with her.
The dispute concerns the workload and support Shawriah says she received, as well as the way McCarthy spoke to her. The Commission’s comments matter because they assess whether particular workplace communications could reasonably be considered offensive or belittling.
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The case for
Shawriah’s account suggests the role differed sharply from what she was promised: expected support did not materialise, she was left covering a wide range of duties and weekend work, and repeated cutting remarks contributed to her resignation. The Commissioner’s criticism that some communications were condescending, and that the translation comment could reasonably be seen as offensive and belittling, supports the view that the management approach was inappropriate.
The case against
McCarthy could argue that a senior operations hire on a substantial package was expected to take responsibility for a demanding role, while the request for two more workers had to be weighed against budget limits. The broader claims about poor support and unclear communication include evidence from a former employee who did not attend the hearing and whose account could not be tested, so they should be treated cautiously; the reported criticism of particular communications does not by itself establish every allegation about the workplace.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Eye-watering leaked emails and texts behind Bondi Born’s workplace war: Fashion boss blasted after telling $150k-a-year exec to ‘use translation to your native language’ – before snapping: ‘Whatever Dina’”.