TechnologyOne founder Adrian di Marco tells court employee sacked because company ‘lost confidence’ in him

The Federal Court has heard TechnologyOne founder Adrian di Marco denied knowing an employee was suffering from mental health issues prior to dismissing him.

Adrian Di Marco, founder and former CEO of TechnologyOne. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Technology veteran Adrian di Marco says he recalls a former staff member telling human resources he planned on “jumping off a bridge” after he dismissed the man, but denied knowing he was suffering from mental health issues prior.

Mr di Marco was cross-examined in a near decade-old court case brought against him and his company, TechnologyOne, by former employee Behnam Roohizadegan in the Federal Court on Monday.

Mr Roohizadegan has alleged the listed company’s executives bullied him, having worked at the company for about 10 years.

The matter is being retried, after Mr Roohizadegan first won $5.2m in damages in October 2020 in an unfair dismissal case but subsequently the high court ordered a retrial in 2022.

During cross-examination, Mr di Marco said he denied Mr Roohizadegan told him he was suffering from a mental disability due to a family illness.

“(Mr Roohizadegan) always came across as very strong (and) self-assured,” Mr di Marco said.

He recalled how “well” Mr Roohizadegan was handling a situation with his family, and insisted TechnologyOne had a family first policy even though staff were expected to work hard.

“He never gave indication he was suffering from mental illness,” he said.

Mr di Marco said he did not recall Mr Roohizadegan was working 18-hour days.

“I was not aware of that. That is not something he should have been doing,” he said.

The technology executive said he called Mr Roohizadegan, who was based in Victoria, to a meeting in Brisbane on May 18, 2016 – ultimately the day he would sack the employee.

“It was a very short meeting. I said to (Mr Roohizadegan) words to the effect that I had lost confidence in him,” he said.

“He left the meeting. (Someone from human resources) came to me after and said (Mr Roohizadegan) made a statement to her, some statement about jumping off a bridge.

“I was obviously concerned. That was the first time I had seen (Mr Roohizadegan) in that state.”

Recollecting about the events that took place 10 years ago, Mr di Marco said at that time this was just an event that happened.

“Obviously it’s emotional thinking back over that period of time,” he said.

Mr Roohizadegan, who was in court on Monday, left the room during this period of evidence and appeared to wipe tears away from his eyes as he re-entered.

Days before he was sacked, the court heard there was a “blow up” between Mr Roohizadegan and current TechnologyOne COO Stuart MacDonald who was first hired in 2016.

Mr di Marco agreed that Mr Roohizadegan and Mr MacDonald “almost immediately” started to have issues, and expected an executive earning a salary of more than $1m annually to sort out issues he continued to raise.

“Here’s a guy who cannot work with his peers. It’s a person who does not take no for an answer. It’s a person who … causes grief and angst for all those around him,” he said.

Mr di Marco denied sacking Mr Roohizadegan to cut costs.

He insisted an email sent to him by a human resources employee containing allegations against Mr Roohizadegan was “gut wrenching”, even though he agreed he only skim read it.

“When you get 50 emails a day it’s very hard to break habits of skimming,” he said.

Mr Roohizadegan had claimed that the company terminated his employment in part because he had a mental disability and said he had been bullied by two senior executives.

Mr di Marco stepped down as CEO of TechnologyOne in 2017, and resigned from the board in 2022.

He founded the company in 1987, and it has a market capitalisation of $8.2bn.

The hearing continues.

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Originally published as TechnologyOne founder Adrian di Marco tells court employee sacked because company ‘lost confidence’ in him