Sydney, May 4, 2026, 07:05 AEST
A senior WiseTech Global executive named by the Australian Financial Review as Melina Green, until recently the company’s head of tax, has taken the logistics software group to the Fair Work Commission over her sacking, the newspaper reported on Sunday. The commission is Australia’s workplace tribunal, a forum for resolving employment disputes.
The timing is awkward. WiseTech is trying to push through one of Australia’s more visible AI-linked restructures after saying in February it would cut about 2,000 jobs, or about 29% of its global workforce, over two years. Chief Executive Zubin Appoo told Reuters then that “the era of manually writing code” as core engineering work was over, while Marc Jocum, senior product and investment strategist at Global X ETFs, said recent share weakness was “more governance-driven than fundamental.” Reuters
The Fair Work claim is not a finding against the company. Still, it puts a fresh personnel dispute around WiseTech just as investors are watching whether the group can cut costs and lift productivity without unsettling staff, product delivery or customer service.
WiseTech’s latest formal market update has been about board change, not the employment claim. In an April 22 ASX announcement, the company said Raelene Murphy would become lead independent director and chair of the audit and risk committee from May 1, while Andrew Harrison intends to retire as a non-executive director on June 30.
The board said independent non-executive directors would continue to make up a majority after Harrison’s retirement. It also said it was progressing a search for another independent non-executive director, a small but closely watched move after a bruising governance period.
WiseTech shares were shown by ASX at A$43.72, up 2.34%, before Monday trade in Sydney. Reuters’ delayed company quote put the stock at A$43.73 as of May 1, leaving the market to price the AFR report at the next open.
The company makes software used by freight forwarders, customs brokers and other logistics operators to move goods and manage data across borders. Reuters’ company profile says WiseTech serves about 22,000 logistics companies and other industry participants across 193 countries, with CargoWise as its flagship global platform.
That makes execution the main test. In the same market, Descartes Systems Group sells logistics and supply-chain management software, while Manhattan Associates provides supply-chain, inventory and omnichannel operations systems. WiseTech’s pitch is that AI can speed up development and global trade compliance work; customers will judge whether it also keeps service stable.
The downside case is plain enough. A single employment claim may fade quickly, but a broader pattern of contested exits would make the AI savings story harder to sell, especially if departures hit senior operational roles or distract from integrating E2open.
Governance remains part of the investor backdrop. Reuters reported in October that Australia’s corporate regulator and federal police raided WiseTech’s Sydney office as part of an investigation into alleged share trading by founder Richard White and three employees; the company said the allegations related to trading from late 2024 to early 2025.
For now, the new claim leaves WiseTech with two live questions before investors: whether its AI overhaul can deliver the promised efficiency, and whether management can keep control of the human fallout while the board reset continues.
