Former Battersea Power Station CEO Don O’Sullivan has filed a claim for unfair dismissal and whistleblowing detriment against Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) and four senior Malaysian executives.
O’Sullivan joined Battersea in June 2024 after 21 years at Galliard Homes and was dismissed in May 2025. He alleges his termination followed complaints he raised about serious financial misreporting within the Malaysian-owned development company.
Since his suspension, several employees have also been suspended or dismissed. O’Sullivan and other affected staff are supported by the GMB union in relation to these claims.
Battersea Power Station Development Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of BPS Holding, a Jersey-registered company owned 40% by Sime Darby, 40% by SP Setia Berhad, and 20% by Malaysia’s national pension fund, the Employees Provident Fund.
O’Sullivan contends that the financial misreporting served to overstate the balance sheet of BPS Holdings. After he reported his concerns in November 2024, he claims he was excluded from company operations. The issues he raised were discussed at a Board meeting in London of both BPSDC and BPS Holdings on 16 December 2024, after which O’Sullivan says he was excluded by two executives implicated in his disclosures and subsequently suspended on 24 December 2024.
The case is ongoing at the London South Employment Tribunal and has been scheduled for a final hearing in 2029. O’Sullivan is represented by John Hayes of Constantine Law and Stefan Brochwicz-Lewinski of Nine Chambers in Manchester.
Hayes said: “Don O’Sullivan’s claim will possibly be one of London’s highest profile and most valuable whistleblowing claims because it involves one of London’s most respected developers taking on a case against an iconic London development, owned ultimately by the Malaysian state.”
A BPSDC spokesperson said: “We strongly deny and are robustly defending the unfounded allegations made by Mr O’Sullivan in the Employment Tribunal.
“There are no claims made by Mr O’Sullivan relating to Battersea Power Station Development Company’s (BPSDC) accounts. BPSDC manages the Battersea Power Station estate ultimately on behalf of Battersea Project Holding Company, the holding company of the 42-acre regeneration project.
“Battersea Project Holding Company appointed highly regarded forensic accountants to independently investigate historic claims. Whilst the two forensic accountants’ reports deal with confidential matters, the conclusion reached was that Mr O’Sullivan’s concerns were not borne out, no further investigation was warranted, and accounting practices employed by Battersea Project Holding Company Limited adhere to international accounting standards. Its accounts have always been audited and signed off by PwC, one of the big four accounting firms.
“With the recent appointment of a master planner to shape the remaining 16 acres of the regeneration project, and with construction of two new Gehry-designed buildings set to commence in the coming months, Battersea Power Station is entering its next chapter and looking at how it can evolve the already thriving neighbourhood for the future needs of London and beyond.
“Adhering to the confidential nature of Employment Tribunal procedures, we cannot comment on this matter further at this time.”
