[Osia-members] Resignation

[Brendan Scott]

Thank you for your longstanding commitment to OSIA.  Thank you also for the time, commitment and energy you have put in as a member of the executive and as a member of the organisation over the years. You've been integral to the organisation's achievements, and arguably it's existence, for a long time now.   I'm sorry to hear that the board won't have the benefit of your experience going forward and I hope that the new executive is able to match, or exceed your achievements on behalf of OSIA to date.

I hope that you'll continue to participate and to support OSIA's goals and wish you every success.

Best wishes Jack,


Brendan



On 11/25/2016 06:03 PM, Jack Burton wrote:
> Afternoon, all.
>
> As noted at last week's AGM, irreconcilable differences have arisen as
> between myself and one of the other 2015/16 directors who was also
> re-elected at the AGM, on matters of probity, diligence and governance
> in general.
>
> Those differences are of such a fundamental nature, that from my own
> personal, legal risk management perspective I feel strongly that I can
> no longer serve alongside him on the board.
>
> Quite apart from my own interests, it is also abundantly clear to me
> that the OSIA board cannot continue to function effectively whilst it
> retains amongst its number two people with such completely opposite
> views on what it means to be a director. So for the good of the
> company, clearly one or other of us must go.
>
> I raised the matter at the October board meeting and asked the director
> in question to consider standing down at the AGM, for the good of the
> company, but he declined to do so. In the week since the AGM I have
> made the same request again, with the same result.
>
> Accordingly and with great sorrow in my heart, earlier this afternoon I
> offered my resignation as a director of OSIA, as foreshadowed at the
> AGM.
>
> It has been a great privilege to serve on the board of OSIA for seven
> years (the last six consecutively; the last five as chairman) and I
> thank the members for having granted me that privilege.
>
> I note that during my tenure as chairman, OSIA's rate of submission
> lodgement has increased sixfold, our rate of other direct government
> engagement has increased fivefold, our rate of mentions in the media
> has also increased somewhat (although to a far lesser extent) and we
> are now for the first time in a position where governments are not only
> starting to listen to our industry's voice, but are pro-actively
> engaging with us and seeking our advice.
>
> I am justifiably proud of those achievements, but I recognise that they
> would not have been possible without the substantial contributions of
> the wide range of highly talented individuals I have had the pleasure
> of serving with on the OSIA board over the years.
>
> I would like to take a few moments to thank those people.
>
> People like Brendan Scott who first inspired me to join OSIA & later to
> join its board and the other luminaries of the "old" OSIA such as Con
> Zymaris, Arjen Lentz, Del Elson, Donna Benjamin & Avi Miller, each of
> whom were a great inspiration to me in his or her own way.
>
> People like Bob Birchall, Bob Waldie, Carl Holden & Stuart Guthrie, who
> were the stalwarts of OSIA's resurrection following the crisis of 2010.
> Bob Birchall in particular, in his former role as Company Secretary,
> was by far the most valuable adviser on the finer points of corporate
> governance with whom I have ever had the pleasure of working.
>
> People like Paul Gampe who both dragged OSIA's infrastructure kicking &
> screaming into the 21st century and edited the first edition of OSIA's
> highly regarded case studies brochure, or like Don Christie who led
> (and over in New Zealand still leads) the charge against TPP, or like
> Anastasia Kuusk who (with help from Sir Tim Purcell and later Aimee
> Maree Forsstrom) finally solved the hitherto intractable problem of
> OSIA's public website, despite being the only person ever to tackle
> that problem who was not herself a web developer.
>
> And of course people like Paul Foxworthy & Aimee Maree Forsstrom, whose
> distinguished contributions to OSIA's recent public policy efforts
> stand in print for all to see forever more or like Jessica Field
> without whose ground-work on the VPM project we would not have our
> highly successful focus today or like Steven Sackett whose tireless
> work behind the scenes has kept us easily solvent and fully compliant
> in recent years.
>
> Thankyou to all those people -- it has been a pleasure to work with you
> all.
>
> Thankyou also to Andrew Yeager -- whilst I never had the privilege of
> working directly with you, without your heroic efforts in 2010, OSIA
> would not exist today.
>
> If there are others whose roles in OSIA's growth & successes I've
> overlooked I apologise -- there have been so many great minds at OSIA
> over the years it is sometimes difficult to keep track.
>
> Notwithstanding my departure from the board, let me assure you that I
> remain a great supporter of our august industry and a firm believer in
> the cause for which Brendan, Con, Arjen & Del first established OSIA,
> all those years ago.
>
> Let me also assure you that I completely support Aimee Maree Forsstrom
> as the next person to take on the mantle of leading OSIA and I call
> upon all members also to support her in that role. Aimee Maree is one
> of the most highly capable people I have ever had the pleasure to work
> with and I have no doubt whatsoever that she will lead OSIA on to
> further successes.
>
> I wish Aimee Maree the greatest of success in building the OSIA of the
> future, ushering in a new era in OSIA's history, and I look forward to
> -- as an ordinary member -- watching from afar as the fruits of those
> labours emerge.
>
> Regards,
>
>
>


-- 
Brendan Scott IT Law Open Source Law
0414 339 227 http://www.opensourcelaw.biz
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