Working with a sketchy client/project. Should I bring my concerns up my company's ladder?
I work in a commodities job, trying to keep it vague for obvious reasons. It's a very weird problem to be trapped in. I've been at the company several years now, and am trusted/respected. Still fairly young/inexperienced.
So a very senior commercial / origination guy bought in this new project for our company. Imagine that we have a "Multi year partnership" signed with company XYZ, as a supply or off-take partner. There is an ESG component to their business, and it sounded great on paper. Basically too good to be true, since we don't even have any real experience in the product/market XYZ operates in. This was 6 months to a year ago. The senior guy at my company clearly didn't do enough due diligence on this...
The senior person (from my company) who found them is gone. I was initially the person doing the day-to-day stuff, and I'm still doing that. The very high level trading/commercial people at my company aren't really involved.
The issue I'm in is that this company we are 'partnered' with is basically full of shit. There has been endless nonsense with them in day to day stuff, and they are extremely incompetent. But the real crux of it is that they aren't able to perform. They aren't able to live up to 1% of the supply or demand they claim to have. So I don't want my company to go out to the external market, and look like fools by representing this company.
The warning flags (for me)have been there since day 1, and I've kind of kept my mouth shut, and just run with things at face value for now. I've figured that people higher up the chain in my company would notice, but they honestly aren't that involved. I think I'm the only person at my company who really knows how dire it is.
So...I'm convinced this project is going to blow up. I don't think my company will lose money in our arrangement per se, but it's embarrassing.
At an individual level, I think it is bad for me to be on this. It's a business that's doomed to fail, so they aren't going to be happy with us. It could drag my reputation through the mud.
Should I bring this up my concerns to my company? Or just keep running with it at face value, and let the higher ups handle it?
I am worried that I'll come off as a complainer - I know how hard it is to originate new business, and this is one of the first things I've been put on to handle. At the same time, maybe waiting and not saying anything will hurt me. Cause when it does eventually blow up, it will look like I wasn't handling it properly.
If I do bring it up to my company, I would stick to the pure facts, and leave it up to them how to address.
Rerum dicta voluptas sint iure dolores suscipit. Non nemo beatae architecto quia. Voluptas ad magni ducimus omnis debitis perferendis deserunt.
Ullam doloribus aut eius veniam ea quia. Itaque illo dolorem quo eum dicta quia officiis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...