Expat Community Holds Annual Awards for ‘Most Avoidable Scandal’
Jakarta’s expat community hosts its annual awards for scandalous behavior. Categories include Best Excuse, Misused Culture, and Lifetime Inappropriateness.
JAKARTA — Hundreds of expat executives, and HR managers gathered Friday night at the Grand Hyatt ballroom for what has become the most anticipated event of the Southeast Asian corporate calendar: The Annual Expat Awards for Most Avoidable Scandal.
Now in its third year, the awards, fondly known in the community as “The Scandies,” celebrate the best of the worst in foreign leadership behavior. Organizers say they were overwhelmed by nominations this cycle, calling it “a banner year for poor judgment.”
“We had to extend the ceremony by two hours just to fit in the shortlists,” said event host and semi-retired legal consultant Jeremy Rowe. “And even then, we had to cut the ‘Best Exit Strategy After HR Investigation’ category due to time constraints.”
🏆 Best Excuse
Winner: “I Was Just Embracing Local Culture” — Richard M., Managing Director, Fintech Firm
Richard clinched the win with his claim that his repeated late-night WhatsApp messages to junior staff were simply part of his “Javanese spiritual openness journey.” Judges were particularly impressed by his willingness to double down on this during a formal inquiry.
Runners-up included:
“I thought she was older”
“It’s legal in Thailand”
“I wasn’t flirting; I was networking French-style”
🏆 Most Misused Cultural Reference
Winner: Sven H., Director of Procurement, Scandinavian Logistics Group
Sven received loud applause for his now-infamous comment: “In Java, relationships are everything… so obviously, that includes my relationship with the office receptionist.”
His attempt to justify a month-long “executive immersion retreat” in Lombok with two junior staffers using a selectively Googled Balinese proverb was described by the committee as “equal parts offensive, lazy, and deeply on-brand.”
Notable mentions:
The American tech VP who opened a speech with “Selamat malam, Malaysia!”
The Australian retail head who insisted his staff call him Pak Bule
The British COO who referred to gotong royong while justifying unpaid weekend overtime.
🏆 Lifetime Achievement in Inappropriate Behavior
Winner: Martin G., Former CEO, Global AgroInvest
A standing ovation greeted Martin as he received the night’s top honor. Over his 12-year tenure in Indonesia, Martin has managed to survive four internal investigations, and two forced sabbaticals.
His legacy includes:
Allegedly dating three interns in one fiscal quarter
Publicly blaming his behavior on “the full moon”
A “Boundaries Are Colonial Constructs.” keynote at an international conference
Martin, who accepted the award via video call from an undisclosed Southeast Asian island, thanked the Academy and “his many enablers.”
The event concluded with an address from an anonymous HR Director who read aloud excerpts from real misconduct reports.
Event organizer Lina, who has managed the awards for three years, said the purpose isn’t to shame, but to “celebrate resilience in the face of their own dumb decisions.” She added, “These are people who could’ve chosen to do nothing, but instead, they made it weird. And that takes courage.”
The 2026 committee has reportedly introduced new categories, including Quietest Resignation After Scandal and Most Passive-Aggressive Exit Memo. Early contenders are already stacking up, as rumor has it someone in Medan just tried to expense a “spiritual cleansing” at a spa called Mistress of the Moonlight.
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