Executive Crisis Communication Lessons from the Astronomy CEO Scandal”

In 2025, there is nowhere to hide. What could have been a sweet moment between a couple at a concert quickly turned into a nightmare for two senior execs at a rising AI firm. And that was just the beginning. So what, if anything, can we learn from this cluster-bundle? As a former Ideas on Stage coach, I've had years of experience with media training and crisis communication. Here's what my experience has taught me.

What Happened? The Spark That Lit the Fire

In a viral moment captured by an audience member, the CEO of Astronomy, a high-growth tech firm specializing in AI systems, was seen intimately engaged with a woman who was not his partner at a Coldplay concert. Within hours, the clip circulated widely on social media, igniting a swirl of speculation and public backlash. Well, to say that is an understatement. By Saturday morning, my Facebook feed was awash with either the video itself or all manner of strange meme versions of the incident. Could you imagine what it’s been like in the shoes of these people? Social media has demonstrated again its incredible power.

While this would traditionally fall into the realm of private life, the very public nature of the incident — and the CEO's high-profile status — made it a reputational crisis that was impossible to ignore.

The Fake Response: A Statement That Initially Fell Short, then turned out to be fake.

Shortly after the video made headlines, the CEO released a public statement that has since been revealed as fake. No official communication came from the CEO himself, and days later, he stepped down.

In leadership, saying nothing is still saying something. Absence is not neutrality. It’s abdication. An example that comes to mind outside of leadership is the ‘Hawk Tuah’ crypto scandal, where a young popular influencer swindled hundreds of thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting fans last year. Her response was late and muted. No response, or a response that comes very, very late, is pretty damning. She has yet to face charges for the rug-pull.

Anyone with influence over a group, whether followers or an organisation, needs to be ready to face consequences if they are not ready to lead.

So what’s the deeper issue with this revelation of an affair? I mean it's no one else's business right? Look, I’m not going to moralise about affairs at work; it is a profoundly human dilemma that happens. However, one thing I have learned in life, there will be pitfalls without strong and healthy boundaries with the people you work with. Thankfully, for those struggling with this, these can be worked on, and these incidents do happen to indicate that there is still self-work to be done. No, the deeper issue is how do we navigate Leadership and Trust in the age of constant visibility?

When leaders falter — especially in ways that appear to involve deception or hypocrisy — it can ripple into how their teams view company culture. If trust is eroded at the top, how can it be expected among colleagues, partners, or clients?

We are in an era where leaders are expected to embody consistency in words, actions, and values. That is a given. That doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean owning mistakes with clarity and humility but above all even avoiding situations that could seriously cripple your credibility.

Crisis communication isn’t about spinning the truth, as the politicians have been showing us since forever — it’s about reinforcing your values when they’re tested the most. So we must communicate. And quickly.

Even if we make a career-ending mistake.

I'll finish on this: yes, it was a dumb mistake, probably never talked about nor gone viral if they hadn't separated in front of the camera. But this is yet again a cautionary tale of how leadership, trust and communication intersect. Your reputation is something that you build before a crisis happens, not one you manage afterwards.

Work on your leadership skills with a coach, work on your ability to deal with tricky conversations with Business Relationship Coaching, but above all, do the work to get those boundaries in place so that you won't be putting out fires like this.

To know more what were doing at Vortolo for leaders dealing with tricky conversations click here: Business Relationship Coaching