[ncc-announce] [GM] Requirements and Expectations for Board Members and Candidates

Dear all,

This week, you will have seen an invitation to join the Executive Board 
at an Open House on Requirements and Expectations of Board Members and 
Candidates. I want to provide some context on why we are having this 
meeting and how your input can help the Board.

There are several reasons why we feel that now is the right time to 
discuss the expectations that the RIPE NCC membership has of its 
Executive Board members, not least the fact that we are responsible for 
the good governance of the RIPE NCC. And while the members will always 
elect the Board, we want to look closely at the formal requirements for 
Board members to make sure those elected will be able to carry out the 
role effectively and play their part in the good governance of the RIPE NCC.

We recently strengthened the processes around board candidacy by making 
amendments to the Articles of Association, which were approved by the 
membership. But we have seen recently in other RIR regions that there 
have been concerns raised about candidates for executive boards. This 
has made us pay extra attention to our own processes around board 
candidacy and membership.

The responsibilities of the Board are also much greater now than they 
were five, ten or 20 years ago. The Board has oversight of an 
organisation that manages important and valuable resources for 20,000 
members. It must deal with highly complex issues such as the impact of 
war and sanctions on the membership and the Internet, as well as ensure 
that service delivery is provided effectively and fairly across an 
incredibly diverse service region. Financial oversight is a big part of 
our governance, as demonstrated by the recent discussions about the RIPE 
NCC Charging Scheme. And we are also effectively responsible for the 
well-being of all the excellent staff who work hard to meet your needs.

To add to this, an independent investigation was carried out into 
allegations of bullying and harassment of a RIPE NCC staff member by a 
Board member. The investigation found no evidence of a breach of the 
RIPE NCC Code of Conduct and the Board will respect the findings of that 
investigation. But this did force us to look at our current structures 
and ask ourselves how we could handle such a situation should something 
similar arise again, and whether having new requirements or restrictions 
in place would help.

At our Board meeting in March, we discussed these issues and focused on 
whether there should be any new requirements, restrictions or 
expectations for those who sit on the Executive Board. The discussion 
covered many areas, including whether there should be restrictions on 
having more than one Board member from the same organisation or country, 
and whether it’s appropriate for Board members to sit on the boards of 
other Internet organisations. This discussion is noted in the minutes 
from our recent board meeting:
https://www.ripe.net/about-us/executive-board/minutes/2023/minutes-165th-executive-board-meeting

Although we had a good discussion on these issues, we did feel it would 
be better to consult directly with the membership about these topics. 
Following this discussion, the Board could then propose changes to the 
Articles of Association affecting the make-up of the Board. Such changes 
would have to be voted on by the membership. At this stage, what we are 
looking for is your input and your ideas to help make sure that the 
Board of the RIPE NCC is set up to effectively represent your interests.

So I ask you to please register for the Open House where we will present 
slides with topics for discussion and then open the floor for members’ 
input.
https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/open-house/ripe-ncc-open-house-requirements-and-expectations-for-board-members-and-candidates

Best regards,

Ondřej Filip
RIPE NCC Executive Board Chair

RIPE NCC Executive Board - Functions and Expectations:
https://www.ripe.net/about-us/executive-board/ripe-ncc-executive-board-functions-and-expectations

Executive Board Liability:
https://www.ripe.net/about-us/executive-board/executive-board-liability

Current Call for Executive Board Candidates:
https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/may-2023/announcements/call-for-nominations-to-the-ripe-ncc-executive-board