Samsung's Cheil Australia Faces Fair Work Claims in Federal Court

Samsung's in-house agency, Cheil Australia, is defending two separate Federal Court proceedings filed by former senior executives who allege breaches of the Fair Work Act following their terminations in mid-2025. Both cases had their first hearings on March 9, 2026.

Two Former Leaders File Separate Breach Claims

The complaints were filed by Trent Ellis, former group director, and Peter Bojanac, former head of digital. Ellis joined Cheil Australia in October 2023, was promoted to group director in December 2024, and was terminated in July 2025. He filed a breach of general protections claim on October 31, 2025.

Bojanac joined Cheil at the start of 2025 and was let go around the same time as Ellis, making his tenure approximately six months or less. He filed his breach claim in September 2025 and attended his first interlocutory hearing on March 9, with a return date set for April 24, 2026.

At the March 9 hearing, Ellis's case was ordered to proceed to mediation. He has seven days following mediation to relist for a directions hearing if the matter remains unresolved.

Cheil Australia CEO Byung Gon Park, known as Marvin, issued a formal statement: "Cheil disputes the allegations that have been raised and will be defending the proceedings." The agency declined further comment, citing ongoing court proceedings.

Samsung Entities Have Faced Australian Legal Action Before

The Cheil Australia proceedings are not the first time a Samsung-affiliated entity has faced significant legal action in Australia. In a separate and unrelated consumer law case, Samsung Electronics Australia was ordered to pay a US$14 million penalty by the Federal Court for misleading advertising about the water resistance of Galaxy S7 and S8 phone models.

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That case established that Australian courts are willing to hold Samsung-affiliated companies accountable under local law. The current Cheil proceedings involve entirely different legal grounds, specifically the Fair Work Act's general protections provisions, which allow employees to file claims if they believe their dismissal was connected to the exercise of a workplace right.

Samsung also conducted layoffs of approximately 10% of employees across Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand in 2024. No direct link between those broader reductions and the Cheil Australia terminations has been established in available sources.

Cheil Australia's Expansion Phase Preceded Both Departures

Cheil was founded in 1973 as a marketing company within the Samsung Electronics group and launched its Australian operations in 2011. The agency provides advertising, public relations, shopper marketing, sports, and digital marketing services, primarily for Samsung accounts. It currently employs 84 people according to LinkedIn.

In 2023, Cheil re-registered with Australia's corporate regulator ASIC, installed Park as CEO, and expanded its retail business unit, OneRX, into the country in May of that year. Both Ellis and Bojanac were hired during this expansion phase.

Park previously led Cheil Ukraine and served as campaign director at Cheil India before taking on the Australian role.

Both Ellis and Bojanac were unavailable for comment. The next scheduled court date for the Bojanac matter is April 24, 2026.