Hi Simon,
Gesendet: Sonntag, 15. September 2019 um 17:59 Uhr
Von: "Simon Phipps" <webm...@documentfoundation.org>
An: "Thomas Meyer" <t.meye...@gmx.de>
Cc: "Board Discuss" <board-discuss@documentfoundation.org>
Betreff: Re: [board-discuss] creation of The Document Collective (TDC)
Von: "Simon Phipps" <webm...@documentfoundation.org>
An: "Thomas Meyer" <t.meye...@gmx.de>
Cc: "Board Discuss" <board-discuss@documentfoundation.org>
Betreff: Re: [board-discuss] creation of The Document Collective (TDC)
Hi Thomas! Thanks for asking.
On Sun, Sep 15, 2019 at 2:03 PM Thomas Meyer <t.meye...@gmx.de> wrote:
could there be a Conflict of Interest (CoI)?:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10026175/officers
and maybe an issue with self-dealing? And what about good governance /compliance?
Public Software CIC was created by Andrew Katz and I specifically to provide a not-for-profit service hosting FLOSS community initiatives. While I am a director of Public Software CIC, it is a Community Interest Company which means no-one (including me) benefits individually from the trading activities it conducts. CICs are overseen by a government regulator, see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies
Additionally, I am not compensated by Public Software and act in a voluntary capacity. In any case, we are proposing only that Public Software host the activities of TDC in the initial stage while it is being incorporated, a bank account opened (and hopefully the Brexit transition is crossed). Once those tasks are done, we will move all activities from Public Software CIC to The Document Collective entity in a suitable jusrisdiction. To ensure that the governance of TDC is well formed, the Board intends to direct a group rather than me individually to define and operate its governance.
subsumtion:
* it's really the situation of self dealing (you are sitting on both sides of the same table).
* you have a CoI for this reason (no matter, if there a finacial issues or not)
* such self dealing is always an issue with compliance / good governance and transparency
And once I googled the address of Public Software CiC I stumbled over this:
https://suite.endole.co.uk/explorer/postcode/so17-1xs
(374 companies listed under this address).
Yes, the address is that of a reputable accounting firm, Fiander Tovell Ltd, who provide Registered Office services to many of the companies for which they handle accounts. In common with many small community entities, Public Software does not have any offices so this arrangement is ideal.
So it could be regarded as a letterbox company.
Kind regards,
T.
