Hot contest for NMG board spots

Hot contest for NMG board spots

Fifteen people will seek positions on the next New Mardi Gras board when members vote at the annual general meeting on August 21.

Current board members Lynne O’Brien, Josh Keech, Tony Knight, Robert Partos, Siri May and co-chair Steph Sands are all seeking re-election.

They are joined by Peter Urmson, David Wilson, Phillip Kershaw, Greg Small, David Walker, Damon Hartly, Peter Walton, Michael Douglas and James Rongen-Hall.

Curren co-chair Nick Parker will not seek re-election. Parker told Sydney Star Observer he was sad to be leaving the organisation, but work commitments meant he would be traveling overseas more frequently in the year ahead.

“I’ll still be available to help,” he said. “New Mardi Gras remains a passion of mine.

“But with the commitment that being a director and being co-chair requires, I would be letting the organisation down if I tried to share that with the job I now have.”

Sands thanked Parker for his contribution to New Mardi Gras, both as co-chair and as a board member over a number of years.

“Nick stepped up to lead the board during a very difficult time and with his integrity and vision he leaves behind an important legacy for the organisation,” Sands said.

“His contribution in regards to determining and implementing good governance, and formulating long-term strategic plans has left Mardi Gras a positive and visionary direction.

“I will personally miss him on the board, yet I know he will continue to contribute, as he has done for the past eight years, to the success of this organisation. We wish him all the best for his recent and well-deserved promotion.”

The elections come on the back of a controversial decision to move the annual Sleaze Ball party from the Hordern Pavilion to the Entertainment Quarter at Fox Studios.

The announcement in April this year that Mardi Gras would post a loss of more than $400,000 for the 2010 season as a result of splitting the parade and party is also expected to play a role in voting.

Although financial reports for the AGM won’t be available until early August, SSO understands the season loss far exceeds the $400K originally predicted.

info: The New Mardi Gras AGM will be held at the National Institute of Dramatic Art playhouse, 215 Anzac Pde, Kensington on August 21 from 1pm.

Editor’s Note: Peter Urmson is a member of the SSO Media board, which publishes the Sydney Star Observer.

You May Also Like

14 responses to “Hot contest for NMG board spots”

  1. Boys, let me assist your ignorance. All party decisions such as Sleaze are decisions by the Board. Several current board members were around in October 08. It doesnt matter who made the mistake, the board mis-managed and covered it up. Many of the current board members had plenty of time to be involved – no, they put their heads in the sand and claim ‘it has nothing to do with me’ It has everything to do with the entire Board that was in place at that time, many who are still there today.

    And so the last minute mistakes continue – no Hordern at Sleaze. Where is NMG support for gay marriage ? They are nothing more than an event management company that ‘stuff that up’ too. (thanks Mike smith for sharing that they dont even support their own decisions with honour)

    I understand your facts are wrong re Spencer, and regardless, the NMG Board are still accountable. Im not sure who the ‘Head of Events’ title goes to, but shame on the current Board letting key decisions be made without them considering the communities unhappiness with their lack of honesty and coherence.

  2. Don’t forget Josh Keech’s “Not in my name” letter to the editor of SSO in an effort to wash his hands of the board’s decision to scale back Sleaze.

  3. Errrr… blaming others is their classic stuff up ! Eg: if you can’t organise a simple task like the Hordern for Sleaze, which has been a common love of the community for as long as I can remember, its a stuff up ! Oh yes, and even more so after the parade / party booking stuff up, oops sorry, error made by others.

  4. Lisa

    What have the current board who have been involved in the organistion over the last year done that qualify as a “Stuff Up”. The decisions around Parade Party split were done by the previous CEO and Chair, and the decision around sleaze was foisted on the organision by a service provider, and Spencer Tunic was a decision made by the NMG Management team, and former chair, and Head of Events.

    Lisa – please qualify …..

  5. Lisa

    could you please enlighten me as to what the CURRENT board stuff ups you are referring to?

  6. OMG ROFL !!! Did Peter really think he would get elected so easily ? He withdrew because he saw the writing on the wall. His comments also show me that he knows we are all sick of the current boards stuff ups.

  7. Posted on the NMG election Facebook group today by Peter Walton

    NOMINATION WITHDRAWAL – Last week I put myself forward as a candidate for the Board, I did this to offer my knowledge and time to NMG on a personal level.

    It’s only 3 days after the nominations have closed and I have looked at the bigger picture and what is in the best interest of the Company, and
    feel that with 15 nominees there is a chance that the entire current board will not be re elected. I believe that if this happens it may be detrimental
    to NMG in support that they gain from the corporates in Sponsorship for the next season.

    I know if I was a corporate sponsor and the entire board was replaced I would be spooked.

    I believe that at least 50% of the current board needs to be re elected to ensure that the corporate sector remains supportive to NMG,

    I personally don’t want to be party to having any negative effect to the organisation and I am withdrawing my nomination

    Peter

  8. Sorry Alex, but the ‘Media partner’ makes a shed load out of the deal.

    Advertising doesn’t come for free.

  9. Thank you Andrew for sharing this, I am also told that another new nomination has a conflict of interest which will make him have to excuse himself from many Board debates to be impartial. Whats the point in applying ? Same ‘ol Mardi Gras by the looks.

  10. Andrew the Media Partner doesn’t make anything out of the partnership. They give money or advertising like any other sponsor. NMG pays nothing for all those ads you see in SX. So how would Peter Walton ‘directly benefit’?

  11. It is also worth noting that Peter Walton is the publisher of another media outlet, who is also the Media Partner for NMG. Surely this is a conflict of interest, if elected, he will be directly benefitting from the partnership. Will NMG be providing a brief dossier on each of the candidates, including what they stand for and how they can contribute to MG, prior to the AGM?

  12. Once again the blind leading the blind. The current Board will have difficulty in explaining their management of all the issues that have affected NMG resulting in such a significant loss over their estimates. No readers, not the current Board, they clearly can only run the business into the ground.

  13. I think that it’s worth noting that two of the candidates for this election have a history of disruptive behaviour when they were on the board and another of them has a solid personal link to a person that I would have to describe as the worst Chair of Mardi Gras (in either incarnation).

    Vote for the people who are trying to solve the problems left by people like the former Finance Directors and the former Chair, not the people who caused the problems in the first place and then threw tantrums and ran away. Don’t vote for their ‘fellow travellers’ either.

    Vote to continue the terms of the current Board, not to let our organisation be taken over by people who are there for their own personal agendas and gain.