Tim Connell is a Demand Class Director of auDA. He’s also a friend of mine – as he is to many auDA Demand Class members who voted him into “office”.
He understands his Directors obligations, and he’s very careful never to breach Board confidentiality. How could he forget – apparently he is constantly being reminded of this! But confidentiality and representing your “voters” can co-exist – as is proven in businesses, Councils and Parliaments on a daily basis. e.g. If you get elected as a local Councillor or MP, then you are there to represent your constituents. If you don’t, then good luck getting elected next time round.
Unlike most other auDA Directors, Tim actually tries to communicate with those that voted for him. After all, is supposed to be a Demand Class representative. Apparently, this causes great consternation, shock and horror amongst the hierarchy at auDA.
As his friend, I’m still concerned that he is effectively being bullied and cold shouldered by some at auDA. I first wrote about this back in May.
The Pressure Must Be On
Tim does not live in a vacuum. He reads forums and blogs – and he talks to people. He is obviously aware of the S249D Members Meeting that has been called to remove the Chair (Stuart Benjamin). He understands that many Demand Class members want to see the Chair gone (as do a number of Supply Class members).
So Tim, if you think you might be breaching Board confidentiality if you don’t support the Chair, then rest assured you are not. That is your right. What can they do to you? Sack you? Good luck with that. As a Public Company (limited by guarantee), auDA has to follow the Corporations Act 2001. This is what the Australian Institute of Company Directors says:
Conclusion
Tim (and any other Director with good conscience), if you are being urged to support the Chair to show solidarity, then it is totally within your rights to refuse.
As with any matter, it is your obligation to speak up if you don’t agree with something.
There are many recent examples where some Directors within a Board of a membership organisation “stood up and were counted”. Here’s one article from The Australian to get you started.
“An investigation by the corporate regulator into crisis-ridden accountancy body CPA Australia is in full swing, with Australian Securities & Investments Commission officers conducting detailed interviews with members, The Australian has learned.”
You can also do what these Logan City Councillors did! Story courtesy of the ABC.
And if all else fails, invoke “whistleblower” protection – I believe auDA also has their own policy.
Ned O’Meara – 19th July 2017
Disclaimer
AUDA Director Tim Connell must be allowed to speak to members.
There is a very significant chunk of AUDA members are both at Dntrade & Domainer. That even includes a number of AUDA staff & directors and now includes a growing number of ex-staff.
AUDA in their wisdom have decided that instead of using the wildly popular Tim to liase with members at Dntrade they will conduct their own road show offline. The Melbourne meeting had 3 people attend, and Sydney had 0. The dntrade drinks beforehand had far more people turn up than the actual event! Many simply went home rather than listen to AUDA’s inaccurate version of events.
When will AUDA realise their communications strategy is broken?
They already have a solid connection to the the membership base. By blocking Tim from speaking AUDA is shooting itself in the foot.
AUDA can look forward to even more empty membership events.
Seriously?? No one turned up in Sydney! WOW.
What does ‘they will conduct their own road show offline’ mean?
They cancelled it because they had no RSVP’s and nobody interested in going.
By offline roadshow what I mean is a big chunk of their members are on Dntrade, instead of simply communicating there (by allowing Tim to speak), they hold their own roadshows offline and the end result can be seen.
AUDA are completely out of touch with the membership base and the 0 number for Sydney should be a big wake up call.
I wish some supply directors would have the guts to tell Boardman and Benjamin to fu*k off.
Tim,
auDA must be held accountable and if they wish to censor you then you should push back.
You have the backing of members and the law. Just because you do not agree with their policies or methods does not mean that you are wrong. You are their equal and Boardman is your employee.
Don’t forget you have the power to sack the CEO he does not have the power to sack you.
The silence from the so called Independent Directors is deafening.
I remember when directors use to speak on DNTrade about various issues related to auDA, sometimes confrontational and other times simply provided a sort of continuous disclosure. It all stopped for whatever reason and the well spring of interaction with directors dried up.
Tim, your always active on forums and you interact with members on various non related auDA issues, and you should know your supported by the members you represent, take that as confidence in you Tim, you’re not alone at the table. 🙂
A director can’t be dismissed unless proper procedure is followed. Anybody with a basic knowledge of the Corporations Act would know that. auDa would know that. Bit of bluster going on.
Just on this I suspect the “board recommendation” was written by the chair & CEO. I think the way AUDA insiders vote is going to be very different to what they tell the chair when he rings the night before.
It is time for a Board spill and vote.
New Board
New auDA CEO,
Mr Boardman and Mr Benjamin will both given a new jobs by the Liberal Party so no need to feel sorry for the damage they have done. It will take years to fix the mess they have caused.
All auDA Jobs advertised on auDA website
Non political applicants welcome to apply
Some old auDA staff should be welcomed back if they will even consider coming back
ONLY domain name experinced people should be working at auDA or on the auDA Board and that includes the “independents”
NO wholesale registry company or people should be on the auDA Board. They are a supplier and this is a very clear conflict of interest which has seen massive profits going to them and their companies.