Drury has denied the allegations, saying Ruddle\u2019s claims \u201care not supported by the facts\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt no time was there any form of intimate or physical relationship, nor did I ever try to initiate one,\u201d he told the Herald.<\/p>\n
Her confidential settlement followed a personal grievance complaint Ruddle made against Drury and his company Oto60 in 2025, Stuff reports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never wanted to settle and sign an agreement in the first place,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s in the best interests of people knowing what actually happened. I don\u2019t think that [this] should be able to legally be covered up by an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this agreement, Drury and his company do not make any admission of liability, Stuff reports.<\/p>\n
Last month, Ruddle also made a police complaint and has been interviewed. <\/p>\n
In the latest allegations, Drury\u2019s chef claimed he kissed her on the lips in a meeting shortly after she was hired as a chef on his yacht. <\/p>\n
Drury told Ruddle they were going out to dinner after flying to Wellington to meet him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was going to be me being introduced to some more people, but it was just him. He came to pick me up from my hotel, and he kissed me on the lips,\u201d Ruddle told Stuff. <\/p>\n
Following this, Ruddle alleges Drury kissed her on the lips every time he greeted her.<\/p>\n
She worked for the founder and former chief executive of Xero from 2023 up until late 2025, moving from his boat to become a residence director and chef at his Queenstown retreat. <\/p>\n
Ruddle told Stuff it was \u201cso obvious that I didn\u2019t want\u201d to be kissed on the lips by Drury and \u201cI would try to avoid it… I would never kiss back. I would be tense and rigid\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said that because she worked for him, on and off, for more than two years, Drury would have kissed her on the lips \u201ceasily over 50 times\u201d. Stuff reported that former colleagues also claimed they witnessed Drury kissing Ruddle on the lips multiple times.<\/p>\n
Drury told the Herald that Ruddle\u2019s allegations are not correct.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt no time was there any form of intimate or physical relationship, nor did I ever try to initiate one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Xero founder said he has contacted police in relation to the new claims as multiple people \u201cwith first-hand knowledge of the events have come forward with accounts that materially contradict Megan\u2019s allegations\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have also received information that, in the presence of multiple people, Megan spoke about her motivations for pursuing a claim. These individuals are willing to co-operate with any police investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xero founder Sir Rod Drury has denied allegations made about him by Megan Ruddle.<\/p>\n
In September 2025, Ruddle said she got into a text exchange with Drury about her employment in which Stuff says she told him his repeated kissing on the lips, as well as calling her \u201cHot chef Megan\u201d, was despicable. <\/p>\n
In a statement to the Herald, Drury said Ruddle\u2019s employment was terminated \u201cwith immediate effect following concerns regarding her conduct\u201d, but he did not say what that conduct was.<\/p>\n
Ruddle subsequently made a legal complaint that Drury sexually harassed and unjustifiably dismissed her, Stuff reports.<\/p>\n
Drury claimed she raised her \u201cunfounded allegations\u201d the day after her employment was terminated.<\/p>\n
A settlement was then reached with a non-disclosure agreement, which also included outstanding money owed to Ruddle. It contained no admission of liability.<\/p>\n
Drury told the Herald while he \u201cstands by\u201d Ruddle\u2019s dismissal, he acknowledges proper employment processes weren\u2019t followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor that reason, a settlement was reached in relation to her employment claim,\u201d he said. \u201cThat settlement included mutual confidentiality obligations, in part to protect her ability to seek future employment\u201d. <\/p>\n
Ruddle left New Zealand after this settlement.<\/p>\n
The fresh allegations from Ruddle come after two other women have alleged Drury made sexual advances while they were employees at Xero, the company Drury founded in 2005. <\/p>\n
In April, ex-Xero employee Ally Naylor alleged Drury non-consensually kissed and groped her.<\/a> Drury denied those accusations, claiming \u201cany other relationships I had over that period were consensual and mutual\u201d.<\/p>\n While Naylor said the behaviour began in 2015, it was formally reported to Xero in 2017. This led to an internal investigation, the findings of which have not been publicly released.<\/p>\n Naylor told the Herald she stands by her allegation there was \u201cunwanted and inappropriate sexual contact\u201d.<\/p>\n Xero later opened an external investigation after Naylor\u2019s public complaint, with King\u2019s Counsel Maria Dew leading the review. <\/p>\n