Luka Koper With New Supervisors, Chairman's Fate Unclear
SOD moreover pushed through a number of statutory changes, introducing among other things stiffer conditions for CEO candidates, which however do not affect Gašpar Mišič because is he is already appointed.
The five new supervisors at the state-owned company replace five of the six representatives of capital on the board.
The overhaul was proposed after Gašpar Mišič's appointment on 26 August, only a week after he resigned as state secretary in the PM's office, caused an uproar in the public as well in the government.
Staying on after strong protest from the Koper city council is the representative of the municipality Sabina Mozetič, who helped appoint Gašpar Mišič along with the representatives of workers and allegedly former chief supervisor Dino Klobas who resigned soon after the appointment.
The five new names are Rado Antolovič, Elen Twrdy, Andrej Šercer, Žiga Škerjanc and Alenka Žnidaršič Kranjc and are replacing Nikolaj Abrahamsberg, Vinko Može, Andrej Godec, Jordana Kocjančič and Klobas.
Notably, SOD, which replaced the four mentioned representatives of capital although none of them seems to have backed the new CEO, decided against its original idea to propose the leading executives from its own ranks.
Gašpar Mišič's fate under the new supervisors is not necessarily sealed, as SOD head Tomaž Kuntarič recently indicated that strong opposition to his replacement on the part of the local community entailed serious risks worth considering.
Meanwhile, major statutory changes adopted today seem to boost the powers of the supervisors, whose consent will from now on be needed in managing the company's real estate.
Moreover, only half of the supervisors, including the chief supervisor, will need to present to appoint or dismiss the management. Also, the size of the management board is being reduced from four to three members.
The mentioned new requirements for CEO candidates include a university degree as well as five years of executive experience at major companies. Gašpar Mišič fails to meet these criteria, which however does not affect him, since they will be used for the next appointment.
Gašpar Mišič addressed the shareholders at the start of today's meeting, focusing on irrational decisions of previous managements and the savings he has already secured since taking over.
Commenting on the new supervisors, Gašpar Mišič praised Antolovič as a "top expert", while he argued that it was time now that the debate concerning his appointment calmed down and that he gets a chance "to show what I can do".