Board Meeting Minutes, January 2019
A meeting of the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) Board was held in London and virtually via GoToMeeting on Wednesday 16th January 2019 from 18:30 - 20:30
Board members present: Tim Hubbard (TH) (Chair) Helen Turvey (HT), Vicky Brock (VAB), Karin Christiansen (KC)
Board members who dialled in: Vanessa Barnett (VEB), Rufus Pollock (RP), Johnny West (JW), Jarmo Eskelinen (JE), Ira Bolychevsky (IB)
Observers: Mark Gibbs [until 20.00] (MG), Catherine Stihler (Incoming CEO) (CS), Cassandra Woolford (Finance Manager) (CW), Paul Walsh (Dialled in)
Apologies: None
Welcome & review of minutes & actions [Chair]
TH opened the meeting and included a welcome to CS who kindly joined us as ahead of her start date as CEO in February.
KC and PW to review historic board minutes for board approval.
CW to arrange Finance session with Board members interested.
Leadership Update [KC]
KC talked through HR papers and current Org Chart. KC is currently focusing on Operational documentation for CS starting, including an updated Staff Handbook.
Organisational Competencies [KC]
KC presented the team’s work on developing organisation competencies which set out what the service and products are as they currently stand. The document was considered very helpful to frame discussions on future partnerships and development opportunities.
Finance Update [CW]
CW presented the financial update. The 2018 YE closes with a small surplus and the cashflow is secure for 2019. It was agreed that the current levels of Reserves are sufficient but should be regularly reviewed.
The Board agreed that Financial reporting would change to Quarterly reporting.
Risk Register [KC]
An exercise took place, where Board members listed potential risks. Staff will carry out the same exercise to create an updated Risk register.
Opportunity Development / Delivery [PW]
PWwill map out Tech options for CS. OKF Delivery Manager is leading on the internal project of Staff Summit in Scotland in April. Board members are invited to attend and meet the team if they are available.
Karin’s Role - [KC] left the room
It was agreed that Karin would return to the Board, however Tim would continue as Chair. Tim advised he could not carry out this position long term. The Board agreed that the Terms of Reference would be reviewed to decide on a new Chair before July.
Mark Gibbs
Mark Gibbs was thanked for his time with Open Knowledge and his work and the impact within Open Knowledge. Mark left the meeting 20:00.
Viderum [VAB]
VAB talked through the Viderum update. The proposed name change was approved.
KC and PW briefed the board on the principles for OKF and Viderum collaborations.
The Board reflected on the management of sensitivities in managing relationships well.The Board requested more preparation before a decision could be made. IB and HT agreed to lead as members.
AOB
HS requested board members submit Register of Interest forms by the 4th February 2019.
The Board agreed that the Offboarding process should be outlined to staff.
The next board meeting will take place virtually on Wednesday 20th March 2019 via Go to Meeting.