English Chess Forum

How does this new role integrate with the pre-existing Director of Home Chess remit?

What does this leave for the Director of Home Chess?

John Upham wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:17 pm

How does this new role integrate with the pre-existing Director of Home Chess remit?

What does this leave for the Director of Home Chess?

That's exactly the type of issue which I expected to be covered - see earlier - under "the finer details of Shohreh's new role".

Roger Lancaster wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:16 am

...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.

Perhaps it could say what the reason(s) was/were?

Yes, the Articles allow the Board to fill board vacancies and create new directorships but this, at least as I understand it, is for exceptional circumstances. Really it's the job of Council - one of its main jobs - to approve director roles and appoint directors. Council is due to meet in a month's time so why not wait until then to ask Council for approval? Anyone else who may have been interested in taking up the role - whatever its definition - may now not have the opportunity to apply for it.

Angus French wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 23, 2021 12:38 pm

Yes, the Articles allow the Board to fill board vacancies and create new directorships but this, at least as I understand it, is for exceptional circumstances. Really it's the job of Council - one of its main jobs - to approve director roles and appoint directors. Council is due to meet in a month's time so why not wait until then to ask Council for approval? Anyone else who may have been interested in taking up the role - whatever its definition - may now not have the opportunity to apply for it.

Yes, I can see that. I can also see that the ECB Board, when making this appointment, will have anticipated that the subject would be raised at the next Council meeting so I should be most surprised if, at or shortly before that meeting, the Board failed to have a full explanation. Of course, it's then up to the Council whether they accept that explanation - but, again, I wouldn't expect the Board to come forward with an explanation which the Council is obviously going to reject. [Yes, that shows some confidence in the ECF Board but presumably that's why we elected the directors].

As to the wider point, it's self-evidently consistent with the principle of equal opportunities that everyone has the chance to apply for roles. Better still, if everyone has the chance to comment on what a role should be. A frequent snag with all this - from the point of view of executive decision-making - is that, by the time the nature of a role has been agreed, it has been advertised, the candidates interviewed and an appointment made, time has passed and opportunities which could have been taken following an immediate appointment have been missed. Finally I apologise for saying in this paragraph what many will already realise but it needs saying, in my view, to those who believe that equal opportunities invariably trumps all else.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:15 pm

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

This has now been done.

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:10 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

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

Please see https://chess24.com/en/read/news/shohre ... d#comments for another example.

I decided not to speculate on whether it was a board level position or not, if only so when someone inevitably and archly refers to uninformed speculation on the internet it wasn't me this time.

Shohreh seems to have a very good reputation, so I am happy she is willing to volunteer for the ECF and that the ECF has found a suitable role for her.

I do feel a bit sorry for Tim Wall. I offered to do various things for the ECF about 10 years ago, and the experience of having the offer declined, then someone else being appointed to do it was a bit dispiriting.

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 5:02 pm

Please see https://chess24.com/en/read/news/shohre ... d#comments for another example.

Another example of what?

Council will be asked to elect somebody to this role in October (at the AGM). This could be Shohreh or it could be somebody else. The board will presumably report its action at Finance Council in April but there wouldn't normally be a vote by Council on the matter at that point.

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:05 pm

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 24, 2021 5:02 pm

Please see https://chess24.com/en/read/news/shohre ... d#comments for another example.

Another example of what?

Another example of a contribution of mine which you might see fit to describe as pearl-clutching.

Whatever