WICB: No decison taken to dismiss CEO

THE West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), in a statement issued on Sunday, said no decision has been taken to dismiss chief executive officer Gregory Shillingford.

According to the WICB 'only the Board can dismiss the CEO and there was never any decision by the Board or the management committee to dismiss Mr

Shillingford within 30 days or otherwise.'

The statement which was issued in reaction to a report in last Saturday's Gleaner, added that the WICB had, however, 'considered the option of discussing an amicable separation agreement, if this was felt to be necessary and appropriate following discussions with Mr Shillingford.

It said the Board's ultimate approval would have been required to implement such an agreement.

The following is the full statement from the WICB:

THE Chief Executive Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Gregory Shillingford in a letter to the Board dated July 5 stated that certain staff members were told that he 'would be asked to go within 30 days' and that an acting CEO would be appointed.

Mr Shillingford's letter to Board members and other comments on this issue were published in the Jamaica Gleaner of July 7 under the headline "Move On to Axe WICB Top Man". In order to minimise discord and the spread of misinformation, the WICB would like to set the record straight on this matter and address issues publicly that would normally be handled internally between the parties involved. The facts to date are as follows:

The management committee of the WICB had by Thursday, July 5 completed discussions with a wide range of persons involved in West Indies cricket as directed by the Board following the resignations of the President and the Vice-President.

The management committee was concerned about issues that emerged from that process in connection with Mr Shillingford. It was therefore the intention of the management committee to hold discussions with him on these matters. While a meeting took place between Mr Shillingford and two members of the management committee on Thursday the issues pertinent to Mr Shillingford were not addressed at that meeting since the two members opted to defer the discussion until the full committee was available.

We therefore appreciate Mr Shillingford's concern about reports of comments that were allegedly made unofficially to certain staff members that do not

reflect the manner in which the management committee intended to address this matter. We are currently investigating these allegations with the undertaking that a full report on the matter will be discussed by the Board at a meeting which is proposed for early next week to address this issue.

We would like to state that only the Board can dismiss the CEO and there was never any decision by the Board or the management committee to dismiss Mr Shillingford within 30 days or otherwise. The management committee had however considered the option of discussing an amicable separation agreement, if this was felt to be necessary and appropriate following discussions with Mr Shillingford. The Board's ultimate approval would have been required to implement such an agreement.

The WICB is keen to ensure that fair procedures are followed within the organization in full accordance with accepted human resource management practices. Since Mr Shillingford's submission of the letter, a representative of the management committee held a preliminary discussion with him and Mr Shillingford agreed to a meeting to discuss all issues of mutual concern at the earliest opportunity.

It is the Board's desire to proceed in a manner that causes the least damage to West Indies cricket and other parties involved at this critical period.

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