A report by the UK nonprofit Good Law Project names Bent Flyvbjerg, an emeritus professor at Oxford Saïd Business School, as the person a young academic was seeking protection from when she was improperly propositioned by former Dean Soutmitra Dutta
A UK nonprofit has publicly identified Professor Bent Flyvbjerg as the Oxford academic accused of raping a junior colleague – a case that later intersected with the harassment investigation that ended the tenure of Saïd Business School Dean Soumitra Dutta.
The allegations against Flyvbjerg as described by the Good Law Project, a nonprofit that brings legal challenges on issues of public accountability, were followed by a separate inquiry into Dutta that upheld multiple complaints of harassment. Together, the two cases have exposed what critics describe as a deeper institutional failure at Oxford: a system that struggled to protect staff, hesitated to confront senior figures, and allowed serious concerns to escalate rather than be contained.
What followed inside Oxford – recently named the world’s top university by Time magazine – would expose a second breakdown, one that ultimately cost the university one of its most senior business school leaders.
A FAILURE BEFORE THE FALL
Bent Flyvbjerg is an emeritus professor at Oxford Saïd Business School
According to the Good Law Project report released Friday (January 30), the female academic whose complaint against Dutta was later upheld by a university inquiry had sought protection from Oxford after raising concerns about a senior colleague, now identified as Flyvbjerg, an emeritus professor with ongoing roles at the university.
According to the GLP report, Flyvbjerg, who has current appointments in both the UK and Denmark, was arrested on suspicion of rape in early 2024; he was released and Oxford permitted him to return to university premises. Authorities later opted not to bring charges, the GLP reports, a decision that is now being challenged through judicial review.
Despite repeated requests from the alleged victim and from staff for stronger safeguards, GLP reports, Oxford did not bar him from campus or launch its own internal investigation; instead he was able to move freely through the same professional spaces where the complainant worked.
Flyvbjerg, who has authored or co-authored at least eight major books, remains an emeritus professor at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, a senior research fellow at St Anne’s College, Oxford, and a professor and chair in major program management at the IT University of Copenhagen. Through an attorney he declined to respond to an emailed request for comment.
THE DUTTA INQUIRY
Soumitra Dutta resigned as dean of Oxford Saïd Business School after a five-month investigation found he violated the university’s harassment policy
It was against this backdrop – a senior academic accused of serious misconduct returning to campus and a colleague unable to secure institutional protection – that the female academic approached Dutta, whom she had known in professional settings for years.
Instead of support, she told colleagues, Dutta made a sexual pass at her.
Oxford’s five-month inquiry substantiated her complaint, finding Dutta responsible for three instances of harassment. A fourth allegation was partially upheld.
The university accepted Dutta’s resignation as dean but did not disclose that his departure followed a harassment finding. That detail emerged only through reporting by Poets&Quants and other outlets.
In a statement to The Times of London, Dutta denied wrongdoing, rejecting any implication that his conduct was improper. According to the same report, witness statements from colleagues who were told of the incidents at the time helped persuade investigators to uphold the complaint.
Oxford declined to comment on individual cases, saying only that it “does not tolerate harassment or sexual misconduct.” Invited to comment on the Flyvbjerg revelations and related questions regarding Oxford’s handling of safeguarding concerns, a spokesperson reiterated the school’s position against commenting on “named individuals” but addressed “the wider question you raise of University safeguarding,” adding:
“Sexual harassment has no place at Oxford. Our sympathies and thoughts are with anyone who has experienced harassment or misconduct. We take concerns seriously, applying robust procedures. Support for those affected is a priority, and we take precautionary and/or disciplinary action where justified. We reject any suggestion that the University tolerates harassment or puts reputation before people’s safety. While we cannot comment on individual cases, we are committed to continuous improvement and have strengthened our approach over recent years. Our online Single Comprehensive Source of Information sets out our approach, support and training and we encourage anyone who has a concern to raise it.”
THE FLYVBJERG CASE
The Flyvbjerg case is separate from the allegations against Dutta, but the two are linked by the same institutional concern: when staff sought protection from powerful senior academics, Oxford appeared to fail to act decisively.
According to the Good Law Project, the complainant alleges that he forcefully violated agreed conditions of consent during a sexual encounter. Her claim, she argues, is supported by audio recordings of alleged admissions made by Flyvbjerg at a later date.
The GLP reports that Flyvbjerg was interviewed by police about the allegations of rape, coercive and controlling behavior, and threats to disclose private sexual images; however, later in 2024 Thames Valley Police decided not to pursue charges in the rape allegation. Police, according to the report, say the judicial review application is without merit and that investigators concluded a jury would be unlikely to convict. Flyvbjerg has denied the allegations, the GLP reports, and told police the sex was consensual.
A CHAIN REACTION
In correspondence reviewed by Poets&Quants, colleagues say the female academic told investigators she sought protection from Oxford for weeks without meaningful response. When she turned to someone she believed had the authority to intervene – Dutta, dean of the Saïd Business School – their meeting set off a chain of events that ultimately forced Dutta out.
In correspondence with university leadership, faculty expressed anger that a senior academic arrested on suspicion of rape was allowed to return to campus; confusion over contradictory or nonexistent communication from central leadership; and frustration that allegations involving powerful men lingered unresolved while complainants were left exposed. Some noted that Dutta’s leave, described publicly in May 2025 as being for “health reasons,” concealed the fact that a misconduct investigation was underway. Others described fearing retaliation or professional consequences if they spoke up.
The warning signs, many now argue, predated both cases. Bloomberg has reported that Oxford hired Dutta despite his stepping down as dean of Cornell University’s business school following a relationship with a junior employee. Faculty who spoke to Poets&Quants on condition of anonymity say that that hiring decision now appears to be the first missed warning in a sequence of institutional misjudgments that followed.
A PATTERN BEYOND SAÏD
The Dutta and Flyvbjerg cases are not isolated incidents. Recent reporting has pointed to a broader pattern of institutional opacity at Oxford, and a concern for the protection of reputation above the safety of women.
In January, The Oxford Student reported that the university withheld information about harassment allegations involving a senior academic, leaving colleagues and students unaware of risks and exposing what one professor described as a “tight wall of silence” around misconduct investigations.
Separately, The Times of London has reported that at least three senior academics have resigned from Oxford amid misconduct claims in recent months, underscoring concerns that allegations involving powerful figures are handled quietly and often without transparency.
National data suggest the problem is not solely an Oxford one. A Guardian survey published late last year found that one in three women in UK higher education have experienced sexual harassment, and fewer than half were satisfied with their institution’s response. Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, called the findings “a national scandal” and warned that universities “cannot keep turning a blind eye.” The Good Law Project cited Dr. Anna Bull, a senior lecturer in education and social justice at the University of York and a founding member of The 1752 Group, a UK-based research and campaign organization dedicated to ending sexual misconduct in higher education: “In 2024, the Office for Students found that at least a third of respondents had experienced sexual harassment in a university setting in the past year.”
A SYSTEM UNDER STRAIN
Oxford maintains that it has “a strong framework of support” and follows “established procedures.” But academics interviewed by Poets&Quants say the system feels fragmented and inconsistent, with college administrations, departments, and central offices often operating in silos. Oxford’s statutes also limit the university’s ability to act when alleged misconduct takes place off university property, even though colleagues frequently meet in shared spaces across the city.
Within Oxford, the handling of the Flyvbjerg case – and the subsequent harassment inquiry into Dutta – has sharpened concerns about whether the university’s current processes can adequately protect staff and students. Emily Baker, a former postgraduate student who left Oxford after making a harassment complaint, captured the sentiment in comments to Bloomberg: “There will always be people who are harassers. The mark of the institution is how those people are dealt with.”
DON’T MISS HARASSMENT FINDINGS TRIGGERED THE FALL OF OXFORD SAÏD’S DEAN
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