It is being reported by GGP Mag that the Managing Director of FENSA and the BFRC, part of the GGF Group, Chris Mayne has decided to step down.

This is the short statement that Chris Mayne has released:

Following the recent strategy and governance review carried out by an independent consultant, the GGF and its subsidiaries are restructuring in a manner that I am unable to support, and I have therefore very reluctantly decided to leave and seek new significant challenges. I have very much enjoyed assembling and leading a talented team that has delivered so much. But, I am looking forward to using the wealth of experience I have garnered at the GGF to further my career.

In response, GGF President Brian Baker said:

This is a very sad loss for the GGF Group. Chris has significantly moved forward two existing businesses, both in terms of professionalism and profitability, and launched a third that will significantly contribute to GGF Group income. We would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

Read the full GGP story

This news comes not long after the the previous GGF President Andrew Glover resigned in what was a shock statement to the industry at the time.

So, with two very high profile resignations in a matter of weeks, some will be wondering what is going on at one of the industry’s most high profile organisations.

Clue is in the statement

The statement put out by Chris Mayne was short and sweet. But there was a reason given as to his resignation: Following the recent strategy and governance review carried out by an independent consultant, the GGF and its subsidiaries are restructuring in a manner that I am unable to support.

We won’t get to know the nitty gritty reasons and the substance behind the report carried out by the consultant, but whatever it was, it was radical enough to force the MD to consider his position.

What is this new group structure? How will the GGF Group be reformed? There’s nothing much out there to address these questions. But there was a telling sub-text in the response from Brian Baker.

Profit?

In Brian’s response, he applauds Chris’s skills in making FENSA and the BFRC more professional and more profitable. Also launching a third business too. But for me, the use of the word “profit” in relation to FENSA and the BFRC is a sign of where the group wants to go.

I don’t have a problem with profit per se. It’s not a dirty word and the world doesn’t run on charity. However, if I remember rightly organisations like FENSA have been generally marketed as businesses that are either non-profit, or minimal profit, that exist purely for the benefit of the wider industry.

This apparent change in direction towards making profit may not sit well with certain parts of the industry that have long criticized the group as being old fashioned, and nothing more than a money making scheme. If the pursuit of profits is the overall goal, then that should be made clear.

So maybe it was this hinted changed in direction that forced Chris to resign. We may never know publicly, but there is enough in the above statements to think that this was the case.

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