Recent appointments to the board of Isle of Man Meats are only short-term, the DEFA Minister has said.
This follows questions in Keys about the appointment of former MHK Bill Shimmins, with concerns raised over transparency and process.
In response to questioning from Jason Moorhouse, minister Clare Barber stated there is “no defined process” for appointing non-executive directors except for the Government shareholder role.
“The department’s and my own preference would be to have an open recruitment process, as we have conducted in the past.
However, circumstances can and have been presented where it has been felt appropriate to make direct appointments,” she said.
Time Pressures
Mrs Barber confirmed Mr Shimmins was a direct appointment for a short-term finance and governance role, citing “time pressures” and the specific skill set required.
The current “emergency board” members were advised their roles were temporary and will be invited to reapply in a full open recruitment process in April 2026.
Julie Edge challenged the transparency, asking: “Has the minister not recognise that the transparency issue here for the public and a governance issue, yet another governance issue from this government that’s been allowed to continue.”
Mrs Barber confirmed other names were considered internally but did not disclose them, stating she was “not looking to bring forward any legislation” but to solidify governance arrangements.