Duncan tightens
grip on Winair
Seeks additional director, sends board home ~
PHILIPSBURG--Shareholder representative of Windward Islands Airways International Winair Minister Roland Duncan has moved to restructure the company, starting with the resignations of its board members and appointing a second director. He will also be personally involved in the privatisation committee.
Duncan said on Sunday that he had received one reaction to his June 21 letter in which he asked members of Winair’s supervisory board of directors to step down. He expects the other four board members to respond shortly.
The three Windward Islands have to nominate new candidates to fill the vacant positions. Saba and St. Eustatius have one member each on the board, while the remaining three are appointed by St. Maarten. The chairperson, to be appointed by the shareholder’s representative, is usually from St. Maarten.
Duncan is under pressure to install a new board so an additional management member can be appointed at Winair. The new director would handle the airline’s commercial and financial departments and work with current Managing Director Edwin Hodge, who would focus more on operations. The new management structure and the directors’ tasks still have to be made official.
Duncan wants the new director to start in a month. To make sure the process moves quickly, Duncan has started to interview candidates personally. They will be introduced to the new supervisory board of directors.
He is waiting for the nominations from the island territories, which will be sent to the Council of Ministers for ratification. He hopes to do that this week. He has received a reaction from one island, but he wouldn’t identify which one. He expects one board member to return to be on the new board.
Defending his decision to send Winair’s board home, Duncan said there was nothing wrong with appointing a new board that reflected the parties in the Central Government, which owns Winair. He said it was expected that boards of government-owned companies reflected government’s composition.
Duncan answered “yes and no,” when asked whether he was satisfied with Winair’s board chaired by Reinier Heere. He said the board had been “too careful” and “too timid.” Acknowledging that he had received some complaints about the board, he said, “A number of decisions have to be taken.” Winair’s board traditionally works closely with daily management to keep the financially struggling company afloat.
Duncan also seems to want to increase his influence by being personally involved in the privatisation of the company. The privatisation committee, headed by former Aviation Commissioner Michael Ferrier, has been dissolved.
Duncan said he would head the committee, management and the new board. “I want to dedicate more attention to this,” he said. Duncan, once the company’s legal representative, said he knew Winair well. Earlier efforts to transfer Winair’s operations to another company failed. The airline needs a new owner to invest money in its operations. (Suzanne Koelega)
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