Criteria for Serving on the Board of Pecanwood Estate

Photo: George Becker (Pexels)

As it gets closer to the time for the annual election of Directors onto the Board of Pecanwood Estate, the tendency for some parties is to request proxies on behalf of residents who do not intend voting themselves.

Please make sure that before you hand over your proxy, you are aware of and ensure that your choice of candidates for the Board are indeed honoured. For example, there is a minor ‘right wing’ constituency on the Estate, consisting of a select group of ardent golfers, that nominate people to introduce certain policies that limit diversity and who make decisions based rather on satisfying personal interests than what is in the best interests of the Estate.

This does not only limit inclusivity but makes Pecanwood Estate a ‘sitting duck’ for attack by certain radical political parties, etc..

Whilst Pecanwood Corruption Watch will not publish who you should vote for, it is important to highlight some requirements for Directors to serve effectively. The points below should be considered when making your choice of who to vote for.

• The candidate should have enough time and focus to dedicate to the affairs of the Estate and their particular portfolio.The PHOA Board does not operate as a conventional Board of directors but rather as a working board. People who are still employed in high profile jobs in a full time capacity, especially in demanding roles, will not be able to meet the demands of being a Director at Pecanwood.

• The candidates should introduce an element of Diversity onto the board in terms of culture, gender, age and interests. For a long time, the Pecanwood Board was dominated by white men in their late 60’s & 70’s - mostly Ardent Golfers. Whilst one appreciates the value from this demographic, it should not be so dominantly represented and it explains the mindset and decisions that were made over the last few years and why certain decisions are there just to benefit the interests of a select minority in this Estate. Pecanwood Estate is more than the Golf Course. It is about the individual properties and the socio-economic, security and environmental wellbeing of its property owners and residents.

• Candidates should be well qualified, of sound mind, impeccable character and experienced enough (at senior levels) to add value to particular disciplines on the Board. More especially it should be recent experience (at least in the last three years in that specific discipline) to add relevant and proper value to the Board. In addition, candidates should display the necessary maturity, seniority and professionalism when interacting at Board level, with Homeowners, and all stakeholders, always cognizant of the image of the Board. They should display impeccable character in terms of good corporate governance, people skills (internal and external), be independent thinkers and not just follow a herd mentality.

• Ideally they should be permanently residing on the Estate given the demands of a working Board.
  

Pecanwood Corruption Watch will attempt to do an analysis of the nominated candidates based on various factors. Furthermore, we will look at the Companies Act 2008, the King Governance Code, and MOI criteria that candidates should satisfy as we we don’t believe the HOA does diligence in this aspect when accepting nominations.

Homeowners are free to email Pecanwood Corruption Watch at pecanwoodcorruptionwatch@proton.me individually to obtain the results of their analysis to assist in making a decision when voting for Board members.

© Pecanwood Corruption Watch