[foundation-board] PROPOSAL: Appointment of Karin Christiansen to Board and as Board Chair

[Jane Silber]

Hi -

I have been thinking about this and was hoping to see a bit of
discussion before posting a response.  But given the silence I'll lead
off...

I'm genuinely undecided about how to respond.  My gut says that it will
be okay because I have a great deal of trust in Rufus and Laura, and
think they have a clear idea of what the Board needs and what will help
the organisation most. I think they've undertaken a widespread search
with open minds, and have identified an excellent candidate. 
Additionally, Karin's background is relevant and impressive.

On the other hand, it's hard to give my support to a candidate that I
have essentially little information on.  It's not that I have any
specific concerns about Karin, but rather that I have little on which to
base a recommendation, positive or negative.

On yet another hand, it seems this is approximately the level of
scrutiny and review that I (and I assume) other board members underwent
before joining.  And while I think what should happen is that some of
the existing board members interview Karin, I myself don't have time to
do that and so can't expect others to do so.

Overall I am neutral-to-positive on the motion.

 I'm guessing from the silence on the list that others may be struggling
as well. So if that's the case, here's one idea that may unblock things:

- we could appoint Karin to the board with immediate effect (as her
background clearly justifies that and it seems in keeping with selection
of other board members)
- since she has her own reasons for her involvement not to be made
public, the initial position could simply be as a board member (public
or not).  We could then ask her, as a board member, to be Acting
Chair.   That would allow the internal focus, allow everyone to
appreciate how wonderful she is, etc. It doesn't have to be public.
- in 3 months time (or whenever), if all is well and her concern about
publicity has passed, then we can appoint her to be Chair.  If those 3
months haven't gone well, then no harm has been done and the search for
a chair continues.

regards,
Jane



On 15/04/13 09:54, Rufus Pollock wrote:
> Dear Board Members,
>
> I've writing to propose the following motion:
>
> *To appoint Karin Christiansen as a new Board member and Chair of the
> Board*.
>
> More details regarding Karin and her suitability for chair can be
> found below. Please *indicate your support (or opposition) to this
> motion by responding to this email* with the *next few days.*
>
> If you have any questions or would like to discuss this please just
> email (or, if phone is preferable, give me a call on 07795 176 976).
>
> Regards,
>
> Rufus
>
> ## Context
>
> After some extensive searching over the last few months Laura and I
> are very happy to say that we've found a great candidate as a new
> board member and board chair: Karin Christiansen. Karin was discussed
> in this regard at the last board meeting in March and my understanding
> was that there was general support for approaching her.
>
> Karin was previously managing director of Publish What You Fund (and
> remains on their board) and is currently the Secretary General of the
> Cooperative party. Karin therefore has experience both of relevant
> sectors but, more importantly, of senior management and board
> experience at NGOs.
>
> Some more detail of Karin's experience can be found here in her linked
> in profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=11956354
>
> Based on recent meetings with Karin and past experience I think Karin
> will be a great addition to the board and an excellent chair (Laura,
> who also met with Karin, strongly agrees). This is a view shared by
> others who know her (such as Martin who worked with her at Publish
> What You Fund).
>
> Some points to mention:
>
> * Karin is now Secretary General of the Cooperative Party (which is
> closely associated with Labour). We are non-partisan and rarely
> directly involved in day-to-day political matters, however, on the
> informal call last week, some people raised concerns that this could
> be an issue. To resolve this Martin Tisne offered to sound some
> relevant Conservative. He has now done so and reported that Karin as
> chair would NOT be an issue.
>
> * Karin is happy to join as a board member and chair as soon as
> convenient (subject, obviously to board approval). However, due to
> commitments in her current position she would prefer for us not to
> make lots of noise about the announcement for a couple of months and
> for initial activities to be inward focused (i.e. board meetings,
> coaching or support to Laura and I, general advice).
>
>
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-- 
Jane Silber | CEO | Canonical
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