IT firm gets $880k in damages in case against competitor, ex-manager

Court finds man and rival that hired him to have conspired against his former employer

- Toh Yong Chuan

After a six-year High Court battle, a former senior manager was ordered to pay $445,686 in damages to his previous employer, an international IT firm, after he jumped ship to a rival firm.

Mr Voon South Shiong and Sunway Digital - the competitor that hired him - were also jointly ordered to pay another $433,742 to Mr Voon's former employer 3D Infosystems in damages.

The court found both to have conspired against Mr Voon's former employer, while Mr Voon was found to have breached his employment contract by making unauthorised payments, acting against his former employer during employment and soliciting former colleagues to join the competitor.

The nearly $880,000 in damages awarded by Justice Chan Seng Onn, a senior judge, on Sept 16 is one of the highest in recent years involving employment disputes.

In the decision, the court set out what employees cannot do when they join a competitor.

Justice Chan described the case as "one familiar to most companies: A trusted employee resigns and collaborates with a competitor, and in so doing, sweeps up with him a large swathe of his former employer's clients and other employees".

Mr Voon joined 3D Infosystems on April 9, 2007. At that time, the company was known as 3D Networks Singapore. His employment terms included a non-disclosure agreement and a conduct guide.

When he left the company in April 2018, he was part of the senior management team and was entrusted with managing clients and suppliers. He ran the firm's sales team and had the authority to approve claims for reimbursements.

Court documents did not state what his previous salary was, but after he joined Sunway Digital, he earned $898,300 for 35 months from May 2018 to March 2021. This worked out to a monthly salary of about $25,700.