Finance chief who cut 11 roles at Cork tech giant before being terminated awarded €60,000 for unfair dismissal

Former chief financial officer of Cork-founded Horizon Controls said she applied for 146 jobs before securing new employment at a reduced salary

The case was heard at the WRC

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. During her time, 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 of Ormonde Solicitors, 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 Nash was dismissed due to redundancy, with the complainant "aware that the business was not performing."

Founded in Cork in 2005, Horizon Controls is led by Mike Hourigan and has expanded its presence across the US, with its new headquarters in Pennsylvania. The company specialises in automation consultancy and engineering in the life sciences industry. 

Declining workforce

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. The company also implemented short-term arrangements and salary reductions with several employees to ensure "future viability."

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 She said she was not offered a right of appeal and that her access to the company's IT system was revoked within minutes of her termination. 

The former finance chief said 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. 

Job seeking attempts 'not genuine'

While acknowledging the process of Ms Nash'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 Nash said the fact she was not provided with a reason for her dismissal made securing new employment difficult, adding that there were not many CFO roles available at the time. She said she also searched for financial controller and director roles, adding that she would take a lower-paid role, but not significantly below expectations. The role she held paid €130,000 with benefits.

However, acting on behalf of Horizon Controls, David Gaffney of Padraig J. Sheehan Solicitors said Ms Nash 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."

Hearing the case, WRC adjudicator Davnet O'Driscoll said Horizon Controls had not discharged the onus to provide a ground for dismissal under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1997, noting that its failure to provide any reason was "unreasonable," and "undoubtedly caused difficulty" for Ms Nash to seek other employment. 

While Ms Nash sought either reinstatement or compensation, Ms O'Driscoll noted evidence of financial difficulties for the company, as well as reduced terms and conditions for other staff in the organisation. Ms Nash was also employed elsewhere, with Ms O'Driscoll deciding on compensation as the appropriate redress for the former CFO. 

The adjudicator said she was satisfied with Ms Nash's effort to mitigate her financial loss by seeking work for several hours each day, apart from holidays, noting that she took up a new role in October 2024 with a reduced salary and no comparable benefits. 

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