Employee moonlighting breach in Singapore corporate services case

But Judge Teo found that this amounted to at least providing technical advice to Xion, rejecting her argument that the arrangement was “purely functional, temporary and did not amount to competing business”.

The court noted that Wong allowed herself to be named as a nominee director or company secretary of Xion’s clients. By Sept 5, 2023, she was serving as a director for 86 companies that were not Korporatio’s clients.

Her Singpass credentials were also used to perform 811 ACRA transactions – for companies not on Korporatio’s client roster – from around June 2022 till at least October 2023, including incorporating companies and filing annual returns.

Korporatio also produced 18 invoices ranging from $400 to $3,500 that Wong had issued in her personal capacity to Xion between June 30, 2022, and April 30, 2023.

Wong, however, succeeded in part of her counterclaim against Korporatio, which was ordered to pay her $3,200 in outstanding salary from Oct 1, 2023, till her last day of employment on Oct 16 that year.

Judge Teo said it was “abundantly clear” that Wong’s services to Xion amounted to providing technical, commercial or professional advice to a business competing with her employer.

The court also found that Korporatio was entitled to terminate Wong without notice. Her counterclaims premised on wrongful dismissal therefore failed.

Korporatio did not, however, succeed on the bulk of the substantial damages it sought.

Judge Teo rejected much of Korporatio’s damages case, finding problems with the assumptions underpinning its calculations. The court awarded it nominal damages of $100 for loss from diversion of productivity and $14,583.33 for losses arising from Wong’s failure to complete appointments as director or company secretary of its clients after her employment ended.

In the final judgment, Wong was ordered to pay Korporatio $14,683.33, with interest.

NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay shared the written judgment in an Aug 17 Facebook post, saying: “Even informal help given to a rival company while you’re still employed elsewhere can count as a breach of your work duties, not just outright ‘stealing’ clients.”

Tay, who is the MP for Pioneer, pointed to the court’s rejection of much of Korporatio’s damages claims because they were based on “speculative formulas and unsupported assumptions, not hard evidence”.

He described the decision as a “timely reminder that well-drafted contracts protect both parties”, adding that clear contracts, documented conduct and proper evidence matter for employers and employees alike.

The Korporatio case is separate from a more recent dispute involving Wong and Statrys Corporate Services Singapore, where she worked as a secretary and director from November 2023 to April 2025.

Wong told The Straits Times that she was caught in a bind, as she could not remove herself as a director of companies she incorporated during her time at Statrys after she had left the firm. ACRA records on June 9 listed her as a director of at least 15 such companies.