English Chess Forum

ECF announcement

Good luck to Shohreh Bayat in the new role

Um, can I ask: is this a Board-level appointment?

Angus French wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:43 pm

Um, can I ask: is this a Board-level appointment?

The word "Director" implies that it is, otherwise it would be Events Manager. Did Council give approval for the Board to create new Director positions as and when they felt like it?

Angus French wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:43 pm

Um, can I ask: is this a Board-level appointment?

Yes

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:55 pm

The word "Director" implies that it is, otherwise it would be Events Manager. Did Council give approval for the Board to create new Director positions as and when they felt like it?

Reaction on Twitter has been uniformly positive. It's a shame that the tone of the initial posts on this Forum has been so different, apart from Mick Norris's post.

The Articles of Association provide for a maximum of 12 Directors. There were previously 11, so the Board was entitled to appoint an additional person.

It must have taken me all of two minutes on the ECF website to confirm the facts I have stated in the previous sentence.

Here is an implied question from me on Twitter which I hope is reasonable:

"For clarity, I await with interest the updated version of the ECF Directors and Officers Responsibilities Regulations"

Here are some reactions on Twitter:

"It will be my honor and privilege to serve in ECF. I look forward to all of the excitement and challenges that lie ahead. Thank you for this opportunity!" - Shohreh Bayat

"Congratulations Shohreh! The ECF will be well-served by having someone who knows and understands #FIDE matters so deeply." - Nigel Short

"Congratulations, @ShohrehBayat" - Natasha Regan

"Congratulations, @ShohrehBayat - [Confetti ball Party popper Confetti ball Party popper]" - Duke Michieka of Kenya, one of Africa's top arbiters.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:56 pm

The Articles of Association provide for a maximum of 12 Directors. There were previously 11, so the Board was entitled to appoint an additional person.

It must have taken me all of two minutes on the ECF website to confirm the facts I have stated in the previous sentence.

I checked the same, though this doesn't mean the appointment is Board-level. I also checked the news story Mick linked to and the Board and Officers page of the ECF website and didn't see anything to indicate one way or another.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:56 pm

Reaction on Twitter has been uniformly positive. It's a shame that the tone of the initial posts on this Forum has been so different, apart from Mick Norris's post.

If the appointment is to the Board then why not wait a month, to the next Council meeting, to ask for Council's approval? Why not allow others to apply for the role?

I mean no disrepect to Shohreh Bayat in asking these questions.

Angus French wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:28 pm

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:56 pm

The Articles of Association provide for a maximum of 12 Directors. There were previously 11, so the Board was entitled to appoint an additional person.

It must have taken me all of two minutes on the ECF website to confirm the facts I have stated in the previous sentence.

I checked the same, though this doesn't mean the appointment is Board-level. I also checked the news story Mick linked to and the Board and Officers page of the ECF website and didn't see anything to indicate one way or another.

I concur that it is unfortunate that the Board and Officers page on the website has not yet been updated.

Angus French wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 6:28 pm

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:56 pm

Reaction on Twitter has been uniformly positive. It's a shame that the tone of the initial posts on this Forum has been so different, apart from Mick Norris's post.

If the appointment is to the Board then why not wait a month, to the next Council meeting, to ask for Council's approval? Why not allow others to apply for the role?

I mean no disrepect to Shohreh Bayat in asking these questions.

I assume that that is because the Board wished to appoint a particular individual and to allow her to assume agreed responsibilities immediately.

If so, they were acting sensibly and responsibly in my opinion.

That does raise the issue of whether the ECF should have a mixture of elected and appointed Directors, as do many similar organisations.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:56 pm

Angus French wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:43 pm

Um, can I ask: is this a Board-level appointment?

Yes

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:55 pm

The word "Director" implies that it is, otherwise it would be Events Manager. Did Council give approval for the Board to create new Director positions as and when they felt like it?

Reaction on Twitter has been uniformly positive. It's a shame that the tone of the initial posts on this Forum has been so different

Still, thank God you were here to provide us with the pearl-clutching that the discussion badly needed.

ok June/july? Or Later? Tweets positive.

Well, I had thought there might be a discussion about the role, rather than the appointment process, particularly among those forumites wanting OTB chess to return ASAP

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am

Well, I had thought there might be a discussion about the role, rather than the appointment process, particularly among those forumites wanting OTB chess to return ASAP

In that vein - what ECF over the board events?

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:55 am

Well, I had thought there might be a discussion about the role

What will the role do that the ECF in normal times isn't doing already? Or is it just a repackaging of existing functions?

Adam Raoof wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:59 am

In that vein - what ECF over the board events?

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:34 am

What will the role do that the ECF in normal times isn't doing already? Or is it just a repackaging of existing functions?

Two (or to the pedants three) very reasonable questions.

If the answers have not become evident by the time of the ECF Council Meeting on Saturday 24th April, I hope that a member of Council will ask the questions then.

As I have said upthread, we need an updated version of the Directors and Officers Responsibilities Regulations.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:48 am

Adam Raoof wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 9:59 am

In that vein - what ECF over the board events?

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:34 am

What will the role do that the ECF in normal times isn't doing already? Or is it just a repackaging of existing functions?

Two (or to the pedants three) very reasonable questions.

If the answers have not become evident by the time of the ECF Council Meeting on Saturday 24th April, I hope that a member of Council will ask the questions then.

As I have said upthread, we need an updated version of the Directors and Officers Responsibilities Regulations.

I agree that the answers to these questions aren't self-evident. On the other hand, it's probably safe [despite scepticism among some here] to assume that the ECF Board doesn't routinely make random senior appointments for no particular reason. It's also fair to say that "managing ECF over-the-board events" doesn't provide much insight, given that ECF-managed over-the-board events aren't that frequent, but I assume that it's an interim explanation while all concerned work out the finer details of Shohreh's new role. I'd counsel a little patience.

Roger Lancaster wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:16 am

It's also fair to say that "managing ECF over-the-board events" doesn't provide much insight, given that ECF-managed over-the-board events aren't that frequent,

I think there's more than you might think if the outsourced ones are taken into account. There's the British Championship Congress, National Counties, National Club if it still exists, British rapidplay and British Blitz, English Seniors plus various junior training and selection events.

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:32 am

Roger Lancaster wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:16 am

It's also fair to say that "managing ECF over-the-board events" doesn't provide much insight, given that ECF-managed over-the-board events aren't that frequent,

I think there's more than you might think if the outsourced ones are taken into account. There's the British Championship Congress, National Counties, National Club if it still exists, British rapidplay and British Blitz, English Seniors plus various junior training and selection events.

You make a fair point.