GEBE CEO appointment paused pending internal investigation involving temporary manager

GREAT BAY--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina said Wednesday that the process toward a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointment at NV GEBE has been suspended pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation involving the company’s current temporary manager Thomas Roggendorf.

Speaking during the Council of Ministers press briefing, the Prime Minister explained that complaints were filed by department heads at GEBE and that, in light of the investigation, shareholders have chosen not to proceed with any further resolution related to a permanent CEO appointment until the matter is concluded.

The Prime Minister framed the decision as a matter of proper governance, stating that where issues and disagreements arise, they must be investigated before permanent decisions are taken at the highest level of the company.

Mercelina also provided broader context on how NV GEBE’s C-level appointments are made under the company’s articles of incorporation. He said the process is initiated through a binding nomination procedure in which the Supervisory Board is required to submit two binding nominees per C-level position to the shareholder. In this case, he said two candidates were submitted for the CEO position, while only one candidate was submitted for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position and one for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) position.

He further explained that the previously preferred, locally based CEO candidate passed away (Troy Washington), after which the Supervisory Board moved to appoint a temporary manager, described as the second binding nominee that had been submitted for the CEO position. The Prime Minister stressed that the individual currently serves as temporary manager and is not the permanent CEO.

While the CEO process remains paused, the Prime Minister said the shareholder has moved forward with other C-level appointments to address leadership gaps at the utility. He said the shareholder resolution for the appointment of a COO has been finalized and transmitted to the Supervisory Board for the purpose of negotiating and finalizing the applicable service agreement.

Regarding the CFO position, Mercelina said the appointment process is being finalized and that the candidate was duly selected and presented to the shareholder through the binding nomination procedure.

The Prime Minister also emphasized that the selection and recruitment process for these C-level positions was already underway when the current government took office, and that the shareholder is continuing the process that was initiated earlier to address the vacancy and leadership challenges at the company.

Mercelina indicated that the government’s next steps include completing the appointment process for Supervisory Board members, followed by finalization of the CFO appointment, while the CEO appointment process remains on hold until the internal investigation is concluded.

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