A Singapore agency claims it is threatening to take legal action against former staff for allegedly poaching clients.
Lifestyle specialist integrated communications agency Ate Group claims that three former senior staff solicited business while they were still employees of Ate before forming a breakaway start-up.
The agency has said it will take legal proceedings against the former employees, although it has not publically named them or their new company. Ate Group claims that its employment contracts stipulate that employees cannot approach the agency’s clients until 12 months after they have left.
In a statement released to Media, Ate said “We were all shocked and saddened by the fact that trusted and senior staff had used Ate’s time, clients, resources and reputation in the industry to attempt to sign and divert business to their own venture while still very much employees of the company”.
Ate’s clients have included Jamie’s Italian Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board, MasterCard, DBS Bank, National Heritage Board, Unilever Food Solutions, Louis Vuitton and The Peninsula Hotels Group.
Ate was founded in 2006 by Aun Koh, son of celebrated Singaporean lawyer and diplomat Professor Tommy Koh, and his wife. Koh no longer has an operational role at Ate, but remains a partner in the business.
In a post on his Facebook page, Koh wrote”I have been completely disgusted by the unprofessional and possibly criminal actions by three former employees (coincidentally, all foreigners).
From what I have been told, these three, over a period of time and while actually under our employment, allegedly worked to divert business away from us and to their new agency.
Allegedly, they lied to my business partners, misrepresented our agency, and even lied to clients. while still drawing salaries from us, selling their own services and poaching Ate’s clients.
These three, in my personal opinion, have demonstrated a complete lack of integrity and professionalism. To me, they have lost any kind of credibility not only as professionals but human beings.
I won’t be naming these people here. I’m not that stupid or petty. But friends from various sectors can guess who they are. And I hope these friends won’t give these people or their business the time of day.
The staff of the new agency did not respond for invitation to comment.
