Dismissal of Alpine, Speed and Telemark Chair
BSS statement regarding the dismissal of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Committee Chair
British Ski and Snowboard today announced the dismissal of the Chair of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Discipline Committee, Mr Malcolm Erskine.
British Ski and Snowboard issued the following statement:
British Ski and Snowboard (BSS) announced today that they have dismissed the Chair of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark committee, Malcolm Erskine, on the grounds of gross and persistent misconduct in breach of British Ski and Snowboard’s published Code of Conduct.
British Ski and Snowboard’s decision was based upon information brought to the attention of the BSS Board following Mr Erskine’s official appointment as Chair of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Committee on 12th June 2014.
On 13th June 2014 Mr Erskine was thought to have been in breach of the BSS Code of Conduct following inappropriate and insulting comments made in an email to a senior team member at the British Olympic Association (BOA). The Chief Executive of the BOA complained about the email and the matter was discussed by the BSS CEO, Chairman and Independent Directors of BSS. On 16th June 2014 Mr Erskine was notified of the complaint from the BOA and of BSS’s concerns about a potential breach of the BSS Code of Conduct. He was invited to attend a meeting with the Chairman of BSS to discuss the matter and was urged to apologise to the BOA and the staff member concerned. Mr Erskine failed to agree to meet and appeared to create further tension between BSS and the BOA by creating an article which was published on the Racer Ready website on 17th June. This article included further insults and highly inappropriate comments about BOA staff and their relationship with BSS. This article can be viewed here: http://racer-ready.co.uk/2014/06/17/a-storm-in-a-coffee-cup-fighting-for-the-future-of-the-sport/ . The Chairman of BSS again asked to meet with Mr Erskine to discuss the matter. No response was received from Mr Erskine.
This series of events led to a BSS Board meeting on 27th June attended by all current Board members and Home Nations observers with the exception of Mr Bartelski .At the meeting it was unanimously agreed that Mr Erskine had committed a number of serious breaches to the BSS Code of Conduct and committed gross misconduct in relation to the article published on Racer Ready. The BSS Board agreed unanimously that the persistent nature of his breaches of the BSS Code of Conduct and gross misconduct in the preparation of an insulting and inappropriate press article meant that Mr Erskine was not a fit candidate to hold the position of an Official within BSS.
Mr Erskine has been dismissed from his position as Chair of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Committee with immediate effect and will not be invited to join the Board of the Company. BSS will commence a search for a new candidate for this position immediately. This matter has been discussed with our key partners.
The position of Chairman of the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Committee will be temporarily be covered by Mr Adrian Pery (current vice Chair of the Committee).
The announcement in relation to the next steps is subject to results of an appeals process.
The following Q+A offers more details regarding this decision:
Why was Mr Erskine dismissed by BSS?
Mr Erskine was dismissed after breaking British Ski and Snowboard’s Code of Conduct on a number of occasions and failing repeatedly to remedy the damage he had caused. Mr Erskine was found to be in breach of the BSS Code of Conduct during a series of events, including inappropriate and insulting comments made in an email to a key stakeholder, the British Olympic Association, non-cooperation in a quest to resolve this matter following his comments, and inappropriate and insulting remarks in an article published on a third party website. It was ruled by the BBS Board that Mr Erskine was not a fit candidate to lead the Alpine, Speed and Telemark Committee.
Is the dismissal of Mr Erskine legal?
Yes. Mr Erskine persistently broke British Ski and Snowboard’s Code of Conduct for Directors and Officials. The ‘Code of Conduct – Directors and Officials’ can be found on the BSS website: /governance/policies/. The BSS Board also complied with Section 9 in the same document – ‘Violations of this Code’ - which outlines the procedure for the early termination of a Director/Official’s appointment.
Why did the BSS Board not disclose the exact number of votes?
The BSS Board took a decision not to reveal the exact number of votes cast in the elections for Chair of ASTC, and Vice Chair of Snowboard. This was to protect the integrity of all candidates. It was made clear by BSS that Mr Erskine had won the election for Chair of the ASTC. In an email to the Chair of BSS, Mr Erskine requested "consistency" with the disclosure of votes for both disciplines, and care was taken to ensure that the results announcement was consistent between disciplines. It was only after this request was met, that Mr Erskine requested further information.
Is the BSS Board afraid of working with Mr Erskine?
The BSS Board welcomed the energy and ideas that Mr Erskine promised to bring to BSS, specifically with regards to Alpine Skiing. Shortly after his appointment as ASTC Chair, the BSS Chair and Non-Executive Directors wrote to Mr Erskine asking him to present his ideas and strategy to the BSS Board, and offering to help him with his future plans. This request and offer was refused.
Why was an “election statement”, which was prepared by Mr Erskine, not published by BSS?
Mr Erskine prepared his own “election statement”, which he was free to publicise wherever he wanted. BSS could not publish this statement as there needed to be consistency for all candidates and it was important to be able to provide BSS members with an opportunity to fairly assess each candidate’s views on certain issues.
Furthermore, Mr Erskine refused to complete the appropriate paperwork for his application for the post of ASTC Chair, despite a number of requests for him to complete the forms and explanation on why the forms were required. Despite this, the BSS Board were anxious not to stand in the way of Mr Erskine’s candidacy, and allowed his application to proceed. It was Mr Erskine's decision not to comply with due process.
Why was Mr Erskine not able to join the BSS Board?
With all BSS Board members, there is a set term of office, which terminates at an AGM. At Mr Erskine's request, the election for Chair of ASTC, a post which holds a position on the Board, was brought forward, and the incumbent ASTC Chair, Mr Bartelski, agreed to immediately step down from his post as ASTC Chair to enable Mr Erskine to take up that role. However, in accordance with the governance of BSS, Mr Bartelski remains as a Board member until the AGM, which is to be scheduled for late summer. To ensure that Mr Erskine had a chance to take part in strategic discussions, he was invited to the July 2014 Board meeting as an observer, but with an opportunity to contribute to debates. No Board meeting is scheduled for August, and had he remained as ASTC chair, it is likely that Mr Erskine would have been a Board Member at the next meeting, subject to an endorsement from the BSS Nominations Committee.
Is it true that some people were prevented from voting?
No. There are publicised criteria for membership of BSS. Some people wanted to join in order to vote in these elections, but were unable to meet the requirements for the membership “organiser” category that they applied for. “Organiser membership” is open to people who are actively involved in running elite British snowsports events, coaching the elite athletes or officiating at the highest level. Individuals who applied for “Organiser membership” but failed to meet the criteria were guided towards our ordinary membership category. This rule was applied consistently.
Why didn't the BSS Board just warn Mr Erskine, and move on?
Mr Erskine's comments in an email to a key stakeholder, the British Olympic Association, were inappropriate and in fact abusive. The BSS Board took this matter extremely seriously, and issued Mr Erskine with a formal written warning and our Chairman sought to meet Mr Erskine to discuss the matter, in accordance with our Code of Conduct for BSS Officials and Directors. BSS encouraged him to issue a formal apology to the BOA. Mr Erskine refused, and responded by publicising his private emails with the BOA on an external website, and making further inappropriate claims. The BSS Chair offered Mr Erskine a further opportunity to meet and issue an apology, but Mr Erskine failed to meet the deadline set for this. The BSS Board gave Mr Erskine every opportunity to work with us and our key stakeholders, and to bring about the change that he promised. However, we cannot and will not be party to the inappropriate comments that he has made, and his refusal to withdraw them and apologise.
Does BSS work fairly across all snowsports disciplines?
BSS works towards success for all snowsports disciplines – Alpine, Cross Country, Freestyle, Snowboard, Speed Skiing and Telemark. With our recent successes in Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing, a large part of the UK Sport/ National Lottery funding goes to Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing. What this does mean, however, is that BSS administration, which covers all disciplines will be stable due to this funding, meaning any income from third party sponsors and donations can be concentrated into other areas of BSS, including Alpine.
What about the recent UK Sport funding announcement?
The recent award of £4.89 million from UK Sport to British Ski and Snowboard means improved stability around central operations at BSS and admin operations for the entire organisation. This will hugely benefit all disciplines. It also means that income from sponsors/ donors can be concentrated into other disciplines and other parts of the organisation.
Mr Erskine has shown a desire to raise much needed funds for Alpine Skiing. If he is not in post, what plans do you have for this crucial area?
BSS will continue to try and bring in money from sponsors and from donations. Since its launch in May 2010 BSS has worked hard to raise over £2.2m from sponsors and donors. Over £1.9m has been spent on the Alpine athletes, programmes and Delancey British Alpine Championships during this same four year period. BSS have already secured over £0.5m for the next two years from sponsors and donors to sit alongside the £4.89m recently announced by UK Sport. Although this is positive, it is not enough to satisfy all of our talented athletes requirements and we therefore continue to look for sponsorship and welcome any fundraising initiative.
Mr Erskine has made clear his disappointment at the Olympic Winter Games selection process. What plans do you have for future selection for World and Olympic competitions?
In partnership with the BOA, the selection criteria for the Olympic Winter Games (OWG) was set at a level that would enable British snowsports athletes to produce competitive and credible performances. Every athlete that met the Olympic Qualifying Standards was sent to the Games, and we were delighted with our six top ten finishes, and first ever medal on snow. We have commissioned an independent review of our OWG selection process, and we are confident that our strategy is the correct one for the long term development and credibility of our sport. Should the review suggest changes to any of our selection processes, we will of course discuss how best to implement change at Discipline level and with the British Olympic Association.
So what happens now? Will Mr Erskine be allowed to stand for nomination again as a BSS Director?
Mr Erskine is not currently thought, by the BSS Board, fit to hold office within BSS and we would encourage anybody with any doubt about that decision to read the detail of the article created by Mr Erskine and published on the Racer Ready website.
If Mr Erskine wishes to stand as a future Director of BSS he will need to satisfy the nomination committee that he is prepared to work in an appropriate and constructive fashion with the current volunteers and staff of BSS and with all of BSS’s key partners.
BSS will make an announcement on the process for electing a new Chair for the Alpine Speed and Telemark Committee in the next seven days with an intent to see a new candidate elected before the Company’s Annual General Meeting in early September.
If you have any questions relating to the decision or statement, please contact Dave Edwards, Chief Executive, British Ski and Snowboard – edwardsd@teambss.org.uk
The announcement in relation to next steps is subject to the results of an appeals process
