Governance Committee Request | GC2017.01 - Request 01

Dear Governance Committee,

In terms of the Governance Committee terms of reference, article 3.1.7, the Governance Committee may provide advice on any matter referred to the Governance Committee by the CEO or the Board.

As the CEO, I request the Governance Committee to consider the start and end dates of the terms of office of Directors of AFRINIC, and to provide advice on that subject.

In terms of the AFRINIC Bylaws, article 13.5, "Each Director elected under Articles 13.4(i) and 13.4(ii) of this Constitution shall hold office for a term of three years, which term of office shall expire on the date of the Annual General Members’ Meeting held on or around the third anniversary of the date of appointment of such Elected Director.”

However, it has been the common practice for several years that the date of changeover from the previous or departing Directors, to the newly-elected or incoming Directors, is 1 July, and not the date of the AGMM.

In my opinion, it’s useful to have a delay of a few weeks in between the election (typically in May or early in June) and the date when new Directors take office and departing Directors end their terms. During this time, newly-elected Directors may be added to mailing lists, may complete and sign any necessary documents related to their new position, and may participate in an induction process where both the outgoing and incoming Directors are present.

It’s problematic for the actual practice to be different from a requirement in the Bylaws. Please advise on how this difference should be addressed.

Regards,

Alan Barrett

CEO, AFRINIC

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