UKOUG Press Release

London, 5th July 2011: UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG) is delighted to announce its members have today voted to accept changes how UKOUG is governed. The member vote, held today at the Annual General Meeting, Hilton Hotel, Reading, was the culmination of months of exploration undertaken by the UKOUG Board to secure the organisation‟s future success.

The growth in the number of Oracle user communities combined with reductions in both UKOUG‟s revenue streams and membership over recent years have had an impact on the organisation. This made it essential for the Board to re-evaluate the organisational and operational structure to ensure the future success of the group.
Over the past six months, the Board has worked with an independent Management Consultant, to undertake a full Governance Review of the Board and its processes and procedures. Having identified a number of issues with the way the organisation was operating, the Board extended this engagement to include recommending an organisational structure that would enable UKOUG to overcome the problems identified and make best use of the resources at its disposal. The resulting proposal (www.oug.org/ukoug_review.pdf), was consulted on with the Institute of Directors and was approved by the UKOUG Board of Directors in June 2011 and today it was put to the membership for acceptance.
The recommendation was to replace the existing elected Board of Directors with three “pillars” of Governance, Influence and Commercial. The management of UKOUG will be vested in a Board of Directors, the Council and an Executive. The membership will elect the Council, who in turn will confirm the composition of the Executive and the Board. The Board is the ultimate authority for all UKOUG matters. The Executive reflects the wishes of the membership through the Council.

For members the changes mean better representation of a diverse membership, concentrated focus on member needs and ultimately a more influential relationship with Oracle.

For the organisation the changes mean UKOUG has the right skills in the right roles, focused on the business and clear strategic direction, creating a more flexible, proactive organisation.

Debra Lilley, who stood down today as Chairman of UKOUG, will remain on the board and take up the position of President of the council, the leader of UKOUG.

Debra commented, “This is a very important milestone for UKOUG, where we will separate what we do from how we do it. I would like to thank the membership for their trust in the board and their vote. I look forward to continuing to lead UKOUG, ensuring that we give the best possible service to the Oracle community”.