Michelle Chia, Addy Lee and Mdada disappointed with Pornsak, unclear what he meant by 'generation gap'

We're not even fully a week into 2023 and local showbiz is already seeing some ripples.

On Jan 2, host Pornsak announced that he was leaving Mdada, and in an exclusive interview with AsiaOne, revealed that the reason for his departure was due to differences caused by a "generation gap".

The 40-year-old said: "There are a lot of things that we have in common, but we also have differences. But considering the generation gap, I don't think it came as a surprise."

He explained that there was a vast difference in their points of view, "especially when it came to corporate governance", and decided to step away to avoid souring the relationship.

In response to his comments, Mdada yesterday (Jan 5) expressed their surprise at the statements "made by or attributed to Pornsak".

They wrote that Pornsak resigned as director and chief executive officer (CEO) on Oct 25, 2022, and he didn't mention any of the issues in his resignation letter.

"On the contrary, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity given to him in Mdada," the letter read.

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The company is also unclear as to what Pornsak meant by "generation gap".

They shared: "It is unclear what 'generation gap' Pornsak refers to, given that Pornsak is himself 41 years of age come Jan 14, 2023, and Michelle 47 and Addy 51.

"The age differences, however minor, would in any case always have been known to Pornsak when he started his collaboration with Michelle and Addy."

Lastly, they said that any suggestions that Mdada or its key shareholders are lacking in corporate governance, or are in any way untrustworthy with customers' purchases or orders, are "wholly untrue and baseless".

The statement read: "While from time to time, customers' orders may be delayed or even cancelled due to extrinsic factors outside of Mdada's control (such as logistical delays due to weather or Covid-19 controls imposed by other countries), Mdada notes that as its chief executive officer until recently, the proper execution of Mdada's operations (including the management of customers' orders and customers' expectations, as well as corporate governance) would have been matters fully within Pornsak's scope of work and responsibilities."

The company also expressed that both Michelle and Addy are "deeply disappointed" that Pornsak chose to air these matters in a public domain "without first giving them a proper chance to address his alleged concerns".

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It is even more hurtful, they added, that he did it despite being the former CEO and a current shareholder.

Mdada claimed that this episode has also affected its reputation and value.

"Only Pornsak will be able to explain why he decided to do so," they wrote.

Mdada stated that they will "continue to investigate these matters" and also took the opportunity to remind employees past and present of their legal obligations.

"In particular, employees have a legal obligation to maintain the confidentiality of information relating to the business of Mdada."

Surprisingly, most of the netizens who commented on Mdada's post have expressed their scepticism. They either support Pornsak or pointed out that he didn't say anything bad about the company.

However, there were also some who spoke up for Mdada with one commenter calling out others for responding "as though they are management/colleagues/friends of Mdada and are so ready in pulling their trigger to pin point the 'flaws' of the Management".

Another simply wrote: "Thank you for sharing. We can hear both sides of the same story."

bryanlim@asiaone.com

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