Stepping Down As Chairman, Long Live the President

This week I had three user group days, the annual July jamboree; Board meeting, Volunteers day and paper selection for conference.

The board meeting was I hoped my last as chairman of UKOUG. Not because I didn't want to be, I do, and personally it was very hard to stand down because as a Chartered Director becoming Chairman of Board was a major achievement.

Back to the board meeting, we had already had a special board meeting a few weeks back to decide and approve on the wording of the resolution for change, so for the first time in long time, this board meeting could look forward and tidy up outstanding issues. We also spent a fair while ensuring our transition plan would hold up.

Basically, the existing board become the founding members of the Council, and represent the membership. David Rowntree will become Financials Executive Director, Graham Spicer Commercial director and Anne Power HR director; to concentrate on this they step down from the council. To put it simply we have seperated the membership from the business, with two sets of volunteers to concentrate on what they can do best, and a much smaller board sitting across the two groups as the legal entity.

We will co opt 7 volunteers to make up the council, (to replace these three, plus Ronan who has stood down and to make the number up to the 15). I am still leader of UKOUG but with the new title of President. Technically I could have stayed as chairman as well as becoming President but that would not have sent the message of change that we need to send to our membership. Lisa Dobson is now Vice President and we plus sue Yates will be the council appointed directors on the board, joined by the three executive directors. We have asked the managing consultant that we worked with to be our external chairman of the board until the next electron in March.

So with all the plans in place we needed the membership to vote at the AGM, as it is a company change it needed a 75% majority. The AGM was held at the end of our volunteers’ day on the Tuesday and we had a good show of votes and I was very relieved that we had a majority of over 94%

During the day we presented on the need for change, the proposal and the transition, there were questions and I welcomed them I wanted to ensure it didn't simply go through on a nod. I think people knew we needed change and that it was probably overdue.

So there you go, first woman Chairman, shortest lived chairman but also first president of UKOUG; and still serving the Oracle community.

Press Release