New complaints against founder Richard White | Australian Markets

WiseTech International proprietor Richard White may very well be headed back to courtroom, this time to face legal motion introduced by a former employer who’s suing the billionaire, and his new spouse, over office issues.

The media studies come because the board of WiseTech confirms it’s investigating two new complaints lodged in opposition to its founder and former chief government.

The Australian Monetary Evaluation mentioned Caroline Heidemann’s Federal Courtroom declare in opposition to Mr White, spouse Zena Masser and the tech legend’s non-public investment company involved alleged breaches of common protections. Ms Heidemann is a former WiseTech employee who was additionally later employed by Mr White’s RealWise Administration, the newspaper mentioned.

The law swimsuit comes simply months after an impartial probe launched by the logistics software program giant cleared Mr White of bombshell allegations made in opposition to him, together with bullying and undisclosed office relationships.

The investigation discovered that Mr White’s behaviour couldn’t be characterised as bullying or intimidating. It concluded he “has a direct approach and that from time to time is involved in robust and challenging discussions”.

WiseTech on Monday mentioned the latest complaints got here from a employees member and a provider to the company, but it surely didn’t disclose the character of any allegations.

“These are being considered in the ongoing board review,” it mentioned.

The tech entrepreneur stepped down as chief government in October as intimate particulars of his non-public life had been aired amid courtroom proceedings.

However he agreed to proceed as a full-time guide for a period of 10 years, targeted on product and business development on the company he based 30 years in the past, on the identical wage of $1 million a 12 months.

The board on Monday additionally revealed that it was nonetheless to choose agreed phrases for the new place.

“The fuller details of this engagement, either via a consultancy agreement with Mr White’s company, or by amending the terms of his pre-existing employment contract … are still in the course of being agreed,” it mentioned.

“In the meantime, both the company and Mr White have been operating broadly in accordance with what was announced.”

WiseTech was dogged by a collection of media studies that alleged Mr White used his affect to gain sexual favours, paid for a multimillion-dollar home for an worker that he had been in a relationship with, and awarded a profitable contract to a then-lover.

In October, Mr White launched legal motion to bankrupt his former alleged lover, wellness entrepreneur Linda Rogan, over a $90,000 invoice for luxurious furnishings for a $13 million mansion he was mentioned to have purchased her within the ritzy waterfront suburb of Vaucluse in Sydney.

Ms Rogan later alleged that Mr White had sought a sexual relationship together with her in exchange for investing in her Bionik Wellness business. The case was discontinued in October.

Media studies on the time additionally claimed Mr White had a prolonged relationship with a WiseTech worker and gave her a luxurious waterfront mansion in Melbourne value $7m.

It was additionally alleged he had signed not less than two non-disclosure agreements with former lovers and had been accused by a WiseTech director of intimidation and bullying.

The AFR reported the new complaints had been made by two ladies who accused Mr White of inappropriate conduct.

The allegations had been despatched to each WiseTech’s board and Mr White via the ladies’s legal professionals, the newspaper mentioned.

In response to the new complaints, Mr White informed AFR he had been “open, trusting, generous and as a consequence, naive to how extreme wealth changes things”.

“I was certainly not prepared for the numerous attempts to extract money from me that I have received over the past five years from people from all walks of life (both male and female),” he mentioned.

“I am now much more guarded, sceptical and prepared to defend myself against spurious claims.”

WiseTech’s share had been down 4.5 per cent close to the close at $124.03.