At a recent annual general meeting, Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) members voted in support of a new constitution, allowing the association to change its governance model.
Under the new structure the association will be led by the already established National Industry Advisory Council (NIAC) and a smaller board, which has been reduced in size from 14 members to six.
The new board members include: House of Jewellery managing director Selwyn Brandt as elected director; Shiels/Grahams Jewellers managing director Toby Bensimon as elected director; Klepners director Ronnie Bauer as retail member; Peter W Beck marketing manager Laura Sawade as supplier member; and Nationwide Jewellers managing director Colin Pocklington as buying group representative.
A sixth board member is yet to be appointed.
“We are very pleased that members unanimously voted to support the new constitution that will ensure the organisation is able to move forward in a positive way – supporting and protecting the entire industry,” JAA president Selwyn Brandt said.
A number of former board members will continue to act in an advisory role on the NIAC, including Peter Keep, Francesca Antonaglia, Michael Oboler, George Proszkowiec, Josh Zarb and Ken Anania.
JAA restructure complete
These recent developments form the second and final stage of a major JAA restructure first announced in March this year.
The first step was the creation of the NIAC, which was completed in April.
At the time of the announcement, Brandt described the changes as “historic”, adding, “We believe the new structure will allow the organisation to focus more energy and resources on strategic issues that matter most to members and to the industry. It will also create new opportunities for member engagement and a broader industry voice in strategic decision-making.”
The restructure will officially be complete when the new board commences on 1 January 2015.
More reading
Major restructure for jewellers association
New national jewellery council calls for input