Club Mgmt. Board of Directors as led by President Dave Barham

[Lore]

Spoiler: Timeline of events

• 15/8: President, Paul Brasher resigns, replaced by Dave Barham who foreshadows external review
  • Votes for Brasher: Peter Allen, Simon Madden, Sean Wellman
    Sean Wellman

    Age

    50

    Ht

    193cm

    Wt

    90kg

    Pos.

    Def

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    14.1

    4star

    K

    9.7

    4star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    4.5

    4star

    T

    1.0

    3star

    No current season stats available

    D

    8.0

    2star

    K

    4.4

    2star

    HB

    3.6

    3star

    M

    2.6

    3star

    T

    0.8

    3star

  • Votes for Barham: Andrew Muir, Dorothy Hisgrove, Melissa Green, Kate O’Sullivan, Kevin Sheedy
• 21/8: Senior Coach, Ben Rutten
  Ben Rutten

  Age

  41

  Ht

  190cm

  Wt

  98kg

  Pos.

  Def

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  13.4

  3star

  K

  6.3

  2star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  M

  5.3

  5star

  T

  1.3

  3star

  No current season stats available

  D

  10.6

  3star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  4.4

  4star

  M

  3.6

  4star

  T

  1.0

  3star

  sacked
• 24/8: CEO, Xavier Campbell resigns
• 24/8: Directors to resign
  • Paul Brasher, immediately
  • Simon Madden, immediately
  • Sean Wellman, after new football director is appointed
  • Peter Allen, after AGM & finance portfolio handover in December
• 26/8: Details of coaching selection committee appointment
  • Sub-committee of 6: Josh Mahoney
    Josh Mahoney

    Age

    47

    Ht

    180cm

    Wt

    83kg

    Pos.

    Fwd

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    11.3

    3star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    4.5

    3star

    M

    3.5

    4star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.9

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    9.2

    3star

    K

    5.4

    2star

    HB

    3.8

    3star

    M

    2.2

    3star

    T

    1.6

    4star

    G

    0.4

    3star

    (Chair, GM-Footy), Robert Walls, Jordan Lewis
    Jordan Lewis

    Age

    38

    Ht

    186cm

    Wt

    86kg

    Pos.

    D/M

    Career

    Season

    Last 5

    D

    23.5

    5star

    K

    12.1

    4star

    HB

    11.5

    5star

    M

    5.5

    5star

    T

    2.7

    4star

    MG

    310.5

    4star

    No current season stats available

    D

    15.0

    4star

    K

    6.8

    3star

    HB

    8.2

    5star

    M

    4.8

    5star

    T

    2.8

    5star

    , Simone McKinnis OAM, Andrew Thorburn and Dorothy Hisgrove (board member).
• 26/8: Details of external review process
  • Ernst & Young to coordinate with support from Andrew Thorburn, working closely with Nick Ryan (Acting CEO) & Dorothy Hisgrove (board member)
  • Focusing on four areas: (1) Board effectiveness & composition, (2) a review of leadership, operations and culture including the footy department, (3) the senior coach appointment and (4) the new CEO appointment.
• 26/9: Andrew Welsh appointed to the board of directors, replacing Simon Madden
• 29/9: Brad Scott appointed as Senior Coach
• 30/9: Kevin Sheedy claims decision to appoint Brad Scott was 6-1 against him
• 3/10: Andrew Thorburn appointed as CEO - alternative link
• 3/10: “External review to be handed to the board next week”: Andrew Thorburn, Crichton Medal Address
• 4/10: Andrew Thorburn resigns as CEO
• 11/10: External review preliminary findings
• 24/10: External review preliminary findings II
• 2/11: Dan McPherson appointed as General Manager of Performance & Cam Roberts as Head of Development
• 11/11: Dean Rioli appointed to the board of directors, replacing Paul Brasher
• 14/11: Tim Roberts & David Wills appointed to the board of directors, replacing Sean Wellman and Paul Allen respectively
• 28/11: Dorothy Hisgrove announced as first female vice-president (at the Essendon Women's Best and Fairest night)
• 1/12: Craig Vozzo appointed as CEO
• 13/12: Board director election results: Andrew Welsh and Andrew Muir elected
• 15/5: The club's First Nations Advisory Council established, to be led by Dean Rioli (chair, Indigenous board member), and including: Leanne Brooke (EFC EGM – Community & The Long Walk. Essendon FC), Dorothy Hisgrove (EFC VP and National Manager Partner KPMG), Kane Ellis (CEO of Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service), John Evans (Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement at Swinburne) and Che Cockatoo-Collins (EM, Indigenous Affairs NBN, EFC Past Player)
• 16/5: Board of Directors declare support for the First Nations Voice to Parliament, after consultation with the new First Nations Advisory Council
• 28/8: EGM - Football, Josh Mahoney has accepted a role as GM Football Operations at the AFL
• 10/10: GM - Performance Daniel McPherson, and Head of AFLW/AFL Operations Manager Aysha Ward have been elevated to the club executive as joint leaders of the club's football department, as GM-AFL and GM-AFLW respectively

 

[Dave]

"Josh Bornstein, an employment lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, told ABC Radio Melbourne Mr Thorburn might have been unlawfully discriminated against in the workplace on the basis of his religion.

"We have a conflict between rights to religious belief and religious activity, which are recognised under statute, and we also have rights to be free from homophobic vilification," he said.

Mr Bornstein said for Essendon, it was also an issue of brand management.

"These matters are dealt with in a rush, in a panic, and with brand management at the heart of the exercise," he said"

'A dangerous idea': Former Essendon chief executive doubles down on calls for religious tolerance

Andrew Thorburn resigned his position as Essendon chief executive on Tuesday, after revelations he was the chair of a church that had articles against abortion and homosexuality on its website.

www.abc.net.au

Did he opine on how such a conflict be resolved?

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

that makes your role untenable, you must resign

I've just added this to the list of things you've done to deserve Mercurial89's post.

 

[Dave]

I hope he sues the ever loving s**t out of the club.

On what basis? He resigned, he wasn't fired.

 

[Dave]

Dammit Beery, ruining my Yaco!

 

[Vander18]

On what basis? He resigned, he wasn't fired.

I imagine he would argue that the ultimatum put to him was unlawful.

As an EFC supporter he’s probably disinclined to sue….and really, it was only 24 hours

 

[eth-dog]

Dammit Beery, ruining my Yaco!

Eh, you still got 3

 

[The Prosecutor]

BARRETT: Dons set for more change after latest 'ego-driven' mess

If in the next 48 hours Barham if himself doesn't announce intent to formally follow out of the Essendon doors the many others he has forced out, he will be told of plans – which were being formulated deep into Tuesday night and resumed first thing Wednesday – of people seeking to remove him, possibly in an extraordinary general meeting.

Significant support for Bombers board member and highly successful businessman Andrew Muir was being mounted behind the scenes on Wednesday.

 

[Blind Turn]

Our aim to become the most dysfunctional club of all time is so successful that it perhaps suggests that we are, in fact, functional enough to succeed at being dysfunctional.

 

[TheGrizz]

If Barham steps down as President can he remain on the board if he just swaps with Muir?

 

[mike14]

Why are we so consistently s**t at everything?

The worst part is, post 2000 one of the biggest gripes about EFC was that we were trying to run it too much like a business and not enough like a football club (profits were considered more important than on-field results). Now we're at the point where not only are we a laughing stock on the field, we can't even get the business fundamentals right.
For 20 years we've managed to zig every time we should have zagged, and we still haven't learned any lessons along the way...

 

[Dave]

I imagine he would argue that the ultimatum put to him was unlawful.

As an EFC supporter he’s probably disinclined to sue….and really, it was only 24 hours

He could. Not sure he'd win.

 

[carnthedons]

He was given an ultimatum to choose between EFC or his Church. I suspect we are on very shaky ground legally.

Probably but at the same time I’ve had employment contracts where I have to declare all outside interests and would reasonably expect to have to decide between them should they have conflicting ideas/priorities, especially if I’m in a position of significant authority and profile. The club obviously failed in its DD around this before they appointed him but once it came to light the position was not tenable.

Alongside this, until you actually start a job you’re not really employed right? We may have erred in our commentary around it but the club (and Thorburn) are within their rights to back out up until 31 October in most employment settings.

 

[mike14]

Did he opine on how such a conflict be resolved?

I'm sure it started with "$4k per hour plus expenses..."

 

[Dave]

I'm sure it started with "$4k per hour plus expenses..."

Not bet from me on that!!!

 

[Corleone]

I am so sick of this shit.

When is it going to end?

 

[tandino]

I am so sick of this s**t.

When is it going to end?

Sell the license to Tasmania.

 

[faible]

I am so sick of this s**t.

When is it going to end?

Buy a Geelong membership and bask in boring stability and consistent performance?

 

[mike14]

Sell the license to Tasmania.

Seems a tad unfair to the Tasmanians

 

[Dave]

If Barham steps down as President can he remain on the board if he just swaps with Muir?

I doubt there's anything in the club constitution stopping him from doing so, but in reality, it'd be hard to see him staying on in such circumstances.

 

[Howard Moon]

Our aim to become the most dysfunctional club of all time is so successful that it perhaps suggests that we are, in fact, functional enough to succeed at being dysfunctional.

Heel. It's the only rational explanation

 

[Pweter]

I can only hope the very public and embarrassing fails is what this club needs to knock the arrogance and ignorance out of the way it's managed/run. I wouldn't say my hopes are very high though given our exemplary form in this space over the last couple of decades.

 

[Mercurial89]

On what basis? He resigned, he wasn't fired.

I'd like to think that the legal system and employment law would protect someone who was forced into resigning because of the optics surrounding his faith.

 

[Lore]

Why?

Did we ask for the board to run like this? Half of them aren't even voted for anymore. How do we have any power, and therefore responsibility, over them?

Brasher: Elected 2011, re-elected 2015, re-elected 2018, re-elected 2021, resigned effective immediately, August 2022
Madden: Elected 2013, re-elected 2016, resigned effective immediately, August 2022
Allen: Casual vacancy 2019, resigned effective AGM 2022
Wellman: Elected 2020, resigned effective AGM 2022

Barham: Elected 2015, re-appointed 2018
Muir: Casual vacancy 2015, re-elected 2016, up for election Nov 2022
Green: Casual vacancy 2017, re-elected 2019
Sheedy: Casual vacancy 2020, re-elected 2020
O'Sullivan: Casual vacancy 2019
Hisgrove: Casual vacancy 2020
Welsh: Casual vacancy 2022, up for election Nov 2022

I'm not sure what's happened with Green and O'Sullivan who should have been re-appointed/re-elected this year but it's not mentioned anywhere. Madden also must've been either re-appointed or re-elected in 2019, but I can't find an announcement about it. Might be in the minutes of an AGM somewhere I guess.

The term of a director is 3 years, can be appointed twice in a row (so max six years) before having to stand for election. Ineligible for further elections after serving 12 years (so technically it looks like if you're elected at the end of your 11th year you can see out the remainder of your term). Max. 6 elected and 4 appointed at any given time.

Upshot of it is anyway that currently Barham, O'Sullivan, Hisgrove and Welsh are in appointed roles as directors, but Barham had previously been elected, and Welsh is up for election this year along with Muir.

 

[Lore]

I can only hope the very public and embarrassing fails is what this club needs to knock the arrogance and ignorance out of the way it's managed/run. I wouldn't say my hopes are very high though given our exemplary form in this space over the last couple of decades.

It seems more like Medusa's snakes, you cut off the head of one and two more replace it.

 

[Saint]

I'd like to think that the legal system and employment law would protect someone who was forced into resigning because of the optics surrounding his faith.

Thorburn resigned. He might have standing if he'd been fired. He admitted he can't lead one organisation which is in conflict with another.