Australian Federal Police Probe WiseTech Chairman Richard White Over Human Trafficking Allegations

What the Allegations Say

The Australian Federal Police's human exploitation taskforce opened a formal investigation into WiseTech Global executive chairman Richard White, according to reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review, published Monday, June 23, 2026.

The investigation centers on Caroline Heidemann, a Brazilian woman who formerly worked as a cleaner for WiseTech. The allegation, as reported by the Australian Financial Review, is that White used his financial influence and immigration leverage to coerce Heidemann into a sexual relationship.

Heidemann had previously made similar claims against White in 2025. She reached a financial settlement with him, according to the Australian Financial Review.

The Complaint That Triggered the Probe

The AFP investigation was sparked by a formal complaint from Kathy Phelan, the former CEO of Kyckr, a company White controls through his private vehicle RealWise, which acquired Kyckr in 2022.

Phelan's complaint alleges White fabricated a job role at Kyckr to hire Heidemann after she left WiseTech, then submitted false information to the Australian government to obtain a visa for her.

"The role described in the document did not exist within Kyckr. No arrangement of any kind involving Ms Heidemann had ever been discussed at Kyckr, proposed to me, or approved by the board," Phelan wrote in her AFP report, as quoted by the Australian Financial Review.

Phelan also told the AFP that White called her in December 2023 requesting a Kyckr letterhead, saying it was for a tax purpose and giving no further detail. She said she was not told the letterhead would be used for a visa application or connected to Heidemann in any way.

The AFP has declined to comment publicly. Multiple people briefed on the matter confirmed to the Australian Financial Review that Phelan's complaint did result in a formal investigation.

White's Response

WiseTech released a statement on June 23 saying White "emphatically and unequivocally denies any involvement in or with human trafficking" and told the board he is unaware of any such investigation. The company stated the matter relates to White in a personal capacity and there is "no suggestion" of a probe into WiseTech itself.

White's defense is not a pro-forma PR denial. He is specifically contesting both the characterization of events and his awareness of any police action. The AFP has not publicly confirmed the investigation, and the AFP's silence neither confirms nor refutes the Sydney Morning Herald's reporting. No charges have been filed. No indictment exists as of June 23, 2026.

The Governance Problem That Predates This

This is not an isolated incident for White or WiseTech. The company has been shedding market value since 2024, when a separate set of personal conduct allegations against White first emerged. Per Bloomberg, the cumulative damage across that period has now reached approximately A$37 billion ($26 billion) in lost market capitalization.

WiseTech shares fell 18% on Monday, then dropped a further 4.1% on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg. The company's market cap stood at A$9.7 billion as of Tuesday afternoon Australian trading. ABC News reported the Tuesday decline at 1.8%, a figure lower than Bloomberg's 4.1%. The discrepancy likely reflects different snapshot times during the session.

Rachel Waterhouse, CEO of the Australian Shareholders' Association, told Bloomberg the board needs to publish a clear succession plan for White and commission an independent report into the latest allegations. "We don't see that there's enough independent oversight across the organization," she said.

The Strongest Counter-Argument

Shareholders and commentators pressing for White's immediate removal face a real complication. WiseTech built its position in global logistics software almost entirely on White's technical vision. Stripping out the founder without a credible replacement risks operational as well as reputational damage. White's defenders can reasonably argue that allegations from a former executive at a White-controlled company, involving events that Heidemann herself settled, do not meet a threshold for treating unproven claims as established fact. A settlement is not a conviction. A police investigation that the subject says he's unaware of is not a charge.

The governance argument is separate from the legal one. Shareholders don't need a conviction to conclude that a chairman generating repeated personal conduct crises is a board-level risk.

What Happens Next

The Australian Shareholders' Association is calling for an independent report, per Bloomberg. WiseTech's board has not announced one as of June 23, 2026. The AFP has not confirmed whether the investigation Phelan initiated is still active, has concluded, or has been escalated. That confirmation, or lack of it, is the single most material unresolved fact in this story.