CBH board mulls fix for Albany zone

CBH’s Albany Port Zone is missing key figures after the departure of both of the zone’s board members and the resignation of its manager.

When, how and if CBH intends to fill the two vacant seats on its board remained unknown this week, with chairman Simon Stead saying the board would make a decision at its June 3 meeting.

The board of Australia’s biggest grain handler, marketer and exporter has found itself in an unprecedented situation in which it is two directors short after Pingrup farmer Trevor Badger was stood down immediately, just before noon on Friday after he lost a members’ vote.

Mr Badger’s departure from the board comes nearly seven weeks after longstanding chairman Wally Newman’s snap resignation on April 1.

Mr Newman stepped down the same day he was unsuccessful in his bid to be retained as chairman, when the board replaced him with his deputy, Mr Stead.

Mr Badger’s and Mr Newman’s departures have left the board with no directors from CBH’s Albany Port Zone, which stretches from Buniche in the north to Albany in the south, and from Boyup Brook in the west to Jacup in the east.

The area is also without a permanent port zone manager, employed by CBH, after the resignation of Adam Wray late last month.

Mr Stead said the board had two options to fill the two vacant seats on the board — it could hold a by-election, or appoint two new grower directors without an election.

“We can make an appointment as a board or go back to the members to elect a member to serve them in the port zone,” he said.

“That will be debated at the board meeting in June.”

In normal circumstances, CBH has 12 directors, nine of whom are grower or member-elected grower directors.