auDA Set For Management Clear-out As Members Revolt [updated]

Following on from today’s earlier article about a trio of auDA members calling for the CEO and 3 independent directors, including the Chair, to be removed. Sources have confirmed the required numbers have supported the petition and a letter has been sent to auDA advising them of the requirement to hold the Special General Meeting.

The required numbers, 5% of members, had signed the petition at grumpier.com.au within minutes of the petition going public and is a formality for such an SGM under the Corporations Act. The letter calling for the SGM, a general meeting of all Members to be convened pursuant to Section 249D of the Corporations Act 2001, plus the required amount of individually signed petitions, was emailed to Cameron Boardman (CEO) and Hasaka Martin (Company Secretary) on Saturday evening. All Board Members were apparently copied in as well.

The 4 resolutions to be voted on if the SGM goes ahead are for a vote of no confidence in the CEO Cameron Boardman and for the removal of the 3 independent directors, including the Chair Chris Leptos.

Member dissatisfaction has been brewing for months following issues with consultation over direct, or second level, registrations, poor communication and transparency and poor governance.

auDA, the policy and regulatory body for Australia’s country code top level domain, is a membership organisation with members in either demand (those who register domain names) or supply (those who sell domain names) classes. There are 4 directors from each class voted on by members as well as 3 independent directors appointed by the board. Given the outrage at the auDA management and certain board members, it’s hard to see members not voting in favour of the resolutions.

For more information, see today’s earlier article at:
www.domainpulse.com/2018/04/08/auda-members-grumpier-demand-heads-roll/

* The above article has been corrected. An earlier version had said that auDA would be holding the meeting to vote on the resolutions within 2 months of the letter being sent. At this stage auDA have not confirmed if they will be challenging the legality of the resolutions and if they will go ahead.

* Disclaimer: the writer was an auDA Board member (2005 to 2007), served on 3 auDA Names Policy Panels (2007, 2010 and 2015), was a supplier to auDA for 14 years and is now a supplier to Neustar providing online media monitoring services.