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Lokesh Choudhary · · 2 min readDrone company Avirtech in dispute with former CEO over misconduct allegations
Photo credit: Terra Drone Agri
Agricultural drones company Avirtech Group has terminated its CEO, Rendy Ferixsen The, effective December 15, 2023, following allegations of “serious misconduct.”
COO Wilson Ong says that the company, which was acquired by Japan’s Terra Drone earlier this year, is pursuing legal action against its former CEO.
However, a lawyer representing Avirtech’s Indonesian entity told Tech in Asia that The was not terminated. Instead, he voluntarily resigned on December 2, 2023 due to suspected irregularities regarding management of funds on Ong’s part.
Both parties have filed police reports in Indonesia. One filed by Ong’s lawyer claims that The and his family members embezzled about US$1.2 million through unauthorized deals.
Meanwhile, Ferdy William The – the former CEO’s sibling and Avirtech Indonesia’s majority shareholder – has filed two police reports. The first alleges that Ong committed violent theft of drone spare parts, which are owned by the Indonesian entity, while the second claims that Ong committed data theft.
Tech in Asia has reached out to Avirtech Group and Terra Drone for further comment.
According to The’s termination letter, seen by Tech in Asia, the ex-CEO allegedly exploited his position at Avirtech to redirect clients and resources toward his personal venture, Kharisma Tech Indonesia (KTI).
The letter outlined instances of undervaluation of company assets for personal gain and the unauthorized use of Avirtech resources to support KTI’s operations. Additionally, the letter alleged that The poached employees from Avirtech subsidiaries to strengthen KTI’s workforce.
Avirtech offers drone-related services for palm oil plantations. It has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand and counts Asian Agri, Sinar Mas Group, and Wilmar among its customers.
Following its acquisition last year, Terra Drone and Avirtech announced plans to form a new entity, Terra Drone Agri, which will focus on precision agriculture in Indonesia and Malaysia.
See Also: The regulatory hurdles holding back Malaysia’s drone industry
Editing by Miguel Cordon and Jaclyn Tiu
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While the company said it fired Rendy Ferixsen The, the former CEO said he voluntarily resigned. Both sides have accused the other of misconduct.
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