Adam told the AJ: ‘I’ve never had a reason for what actually happened, but at least I’ve got a resolution. No one’s ever told me why they insisted – in spite of my protest that I hadn’t – that I had resigned.’
He said he has also received a personal apology over his ousting.
He has now officially stepped down from the board of the charity, something he said he had intended to do earlier this year anyway prior to his dismissal.
‘That had always been my intention, once all this matter was resolved, once they’d established the fact that I hadn’t resigned […] which was a slight on me, frankly, as I’d made it very clear I hadn’t resigned.
Adam, formerly director of ADAM Architects, set up the charity with support from King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, to ‘support traditional building, the maintenance of local character, and the creation of better places to live’.
INTBAU said it had no comment to add beyond its statement.
This week its trustees issued a statement that described the episode as a ‘misunderstanding’.
It added that the undersigned trustees and directors ‘hold Adam in the highest esteem and celebrate his 21 years of service as founder and chair of INTBAU Ltd’.
‘The undersigned trustees sincerely regret any distress this matter may have caused Adam and that any subsequent matters may have reflected negatively on his professional and personal reputation.’
In November 2022, Adam, founding chair of INTBAU, said he had been dismissed without warning during a meeting of trustees and that a decision to announce his resignation had been made by the UK chapter of the charity, which has chapters in 39 countries and members in more than 100.
Asked whether the resolution followed a threat of legal action, he said: ‘Lawyers were involved, that’s all I can really say.’
‘[In view of] the fact is I founded this charity, I have to say it was extremely upsetting.’
The trustees named are: Clive Aslet, Catherine Mary Rose Gunn, Lord Norman Lamont of Lerwick and Alireza Sagharchi.
It said: ‘Following an extensive and full and frank exchange of correspondence, the undersigned trustees, and directors of the UK charity, INTBAU Ltd, recognise that there was a misunderstanding, and that Adam did not intend to tender his resignation.
He added that the episode had ‘wasted everybody’s time’ and he was now ‘very keen to concentrate on the objectives of the charity’, to which he remains an advisor.
‘To say that I had, then to dismiss me from the board was a slight on my reputation.