Maybe this is the new way of doing things: Offer the junket, let the person make their speech, and enjoy the fruits (expensive golf trip/hotel), then scapegoat a dispensable individual after the fact, to make it look all above board, make it look like the company is proactive against any sort of bribery allegations.
But the bottom line here, the junket still took place and the IT Director still got his freebie. In some ways, it would be worth it to Informatica doing it this way, considering the size of the contract.
The Highway Agency's IT director managed to tick off his golfing bucket list, and he is still employed by Highways Agency. He can still sign off contracts with Informatica. i.e. the HA IT Director has still been indirectly remunerated for the speech.
It looks, for all intents and purposes - above board, vetted and disciplinary action taken against Informatica employee(s). Job done.
Nothing is straightforward nowadays. The IT Director should have been made to pay for the trip out of his own pocket, after the fact, and should be prevented from signing off Informatica contracts going forward. Even then, that doesn't really satisfy things. He should have never taken the trip on those terms.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
