Cork-founded company ordered to pay former CFO €60,230 in compensation

The former chief financial officer (CFO) of the Cork-founded tech multinational Horizon Controls, who effected 11 redundancies before she was dismissed in a "flawed" termination, has been awarded €60,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). 

Helen Nason was the company's CFO for 16 months before her employment was terminated in April 2024. Ms Nason said she warned Horizon Controls' chief executive multiple times about the risks and viability of investing in a tech project that "was not profitable."

Represented by Joseph Bradley, Ms Nason noted that Horizon Controls was not investing in other profitable areas of the business and that one of its companies lost a "multimillion euro contract" less than three months before she was dismissed. 

Horizon Controls said Ms Nason was dismissed due to redundancy, with the complainant "aware that the business was not performing."

Before her dismissal, the former CFO effected 11 redundancies before her own role was terminated. Following her dismissal, Horizon Controls said it made 17 further redundancies and did not replace an additional 20 employees who left voluntarily. 

'No explanation'

Ms Nason said she was offered "no explanation" for her dismissal, with no fair procedures applied or best practices followed. 

She said she was not offered a right of appeal and that her access to the company's IT system was revoked within minutes of her termination. 

She started seeking new employment immediately, applying for 146 jobs in total. She obtained a new role six months later in October 2024 at a reduced salary, stating that her financial loss of €60,230 was ongoing. 

While acknowledging the process of Ms Nason's termination was flawed, Horizon Controls did not accept that her efforts to mitigate losses were genuine. The company argued she "should not have been six months out of work" given her experience as a CFO for a multinational company. 

Ms Nason said the fact she was not provided with a reason for her dismissal made securing new employment difficult. The role she held paid €130,000 with benefits.

On behalf of Horizon Controls, David Gaffney said Ms Nason made a "derisory attempt" to look for work, and did not consider salaries of €40,000-€50,000 with a view of negotiating upwards. 

Mr Gaffney also submitted that the former CFO "stopped making efforts to get roles and took the summer off."

Adjudicating the case, Davnet O'Driscoll said Horizon Controls had not discharged the onus to provide a ground for dismissal under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1997. 

The adjudicator said she was satisfied with Ms Nason's effort to mitigate her financial loss by looking for work for several hours each day, apart from holidays. 

Upholding her complaint, Ms O'Driscoll ordered Horizon Controls to compensate Ms Nason €60,230.