Westpac’s former head of diversity, equity and inclusion has been arrested on the France-Belgium border after he allegedly attempted to kill his partner with a hot saucepan.
David Cao, 37, was arrested in Lille after he allegedly struck Callum Forbes in the head with kitchen equipment and poured boiling water over his body at the Chateau de Perreux in central France’s Nazelles-Negron region.
The attack allegedly occurred late at night and resulted in Mr Cao fleeing the hotel in a rental car, before boarding a train which took him to the other side of the country. The arrest occurred on July 28, according to reports.
French reports detail that the couple checked into the luxury hotel for one night as part of a European holiday coinciding with World Pride Amsterdam.
According to his LinkedIn, Mr Cao’s last role was as head of value retail creation at ING, a position he has held since May. ING confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that Mr Cao no longer worked for the bank.
The Australian has confirmed he was previously a business manager and then head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Westpac. Westpac declined to comment.
Before that, the University of Sydney graduate held positions at Bank of Queensland, Commonwealth Bank, Oliver Wyman, Goldman Sachs and another stint at Westpac.
Rainbow Giving Australia, which provides grants to LGBTQIA+ community organisations, credited him for driving “systemic change to build a culture of inclusion, increase diverse representation at all levels,” while at Westpac.
That biography has been deleted. Rainbow Giving has been contacted for comment.
Mr Cao’s partner Mr Forbes is a Sydney-based entrepreneur whose Airbnb-agency operation And Chill went bust in 2019 owing more than $3.6m to clients after just two years.
Mr Forbes is recovering from burns in hospital with hopes to soon return to Sydney. He also required stitches to his head. DFAT has been in contact with Mr Forbes and is reportedly yet to get into contact with Mr Cao.
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Joseph CarboneBusiness and Audience Reporter