IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) is a multinational technology company that offers hardware, software, cloud-based services, and cognitive computing solutions to clients in various industries. IBM’s headquarters is in Armonk, New York, and it operates in over 170 countries.
The company is well known for its contributions to the development of personal computers and is currently focused on artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, and cloud computing technologies.
The Edge Markets reports that according to Bloomberg, IBM is taking legal action against its former Thailand subsidiary top executive, accusing her of breaching her contract by taking a job at a rival company, and demanding that she pay back almost half a million dollars in bonus awards.
According to the lawsuit filed in a federal court in New York, IBM alleges that Patama Chantaruck, who joined IBM in 2018 and left for Accenture in April 2022, violated her contractual obligation to protect confidential company information and not engage in competitive conduct within certain time frames. IBM claims that her swift move to Accenture gives it the right to revoke her bonus of more than USD470,000 (more than RM2 million).
IBM lawyers said:
IBM and Accenture entities compete particularly in the information, digitalization, and consulting spaces, both globally and within the Asia-Pacific region.
IBM claims that it requested Chantaruck to return the money, but she declined. Chantaruck, a well-regarded tech executive in Southeast Asia, had a long career at Microsoft before joining IBM. In 2021, she was recognized as one of Bangkok Post’s 24 Women of the Year, along with Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Tsai Ing-Wen, the President of Taiwan.
