Softchoice Corp. (TSX: SO) this year had the unfortunate task of having to protect its interests and that of its customers with two lawsuits against former employees hired by a competing U.S.-based VAR called En Pointe Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPT). The legal action centred on the trend of poaching and corporate raiding.
Kirsten Thompson, Softchoice’s general counsel, was at the forfront of this legal battle and for that yeoman’s duty was named a CDN Top 25 Newsmaker.
What was at stake in this still on-going legal action is Softchoice’s hard-earned reputation of ethical behaviour and corporate responsibility. This reputation is what Thompson is protecting.
“As part of our business we make a promise to our customers that we’ll protect their interests and their information, and we make a promise to our other employees they’ll be able to make a decent living here. We take those promises quite seriously,” she said.
During the discovery period, it became fairly apparent to Thompson that the poaching was part of a larger organized strategy by En Pointe that targeted Softchoice.
“We think competition is good for the customers. It’s good for us, it keeps us sharp,” said Thompson. “What we’re concerned about is individuals, and ultimately the companies, that appropriate our investment in our people. It’s both ethically and legally inappropriate.”
