PHILIPSBURG — The Corporate Governance Council expressed concerns in its advice on the possible appointment of Sharine Daniel as the next Chief Executive Officer of utilities company GEBE that are somewhat surprising, considering the doctoral study Daniel did to obtain her title at Walden University in 2020. While the Council does not directly oppose her appointment as CEO, it has “some reservations.”
The Corporate Governance Council acknowledges in its advice “the vast experience and knowledge” Daniel has of GEBE. But it also refers to reservations expressed in an evaluation by Ernst&Young.
That evaluation mentions “known interpersonal challenges with the current board and other possible colleagues” and states that these issues should be addressed. “The strong personality and communication style of Ms. Daniel is a matter that should be considered. (….) The CEO should have the right combination of democracy, people skills and decisiveness.”
The report concludes that “Ms. Daniel would benefit from further development to reach the proper balance between these skills.”
Remarkably, Daniel obtained her doctorate in Business Administration from the online Walden University with a study entitled “Communication Strategies Used To Improve Employee Performance in a Diverse Workforce.”
This study focuses on skills that Daniel herself apparently does not possess, according to the Ernt&Young evaluation. The study’s abstract begins with the statement: “Ineffective communication strategies can negatively affect employee performance in a diverse workforce, which may hinder business growth.”
In her study, Daniel explores the communication strategy top-level managers in the communication industry use to improve employee performance in a diverse workforce. To this end, she interviewed “Five top-level managers in two telecommunication companies in St. Maarten.” It seems safe to assume that these companies are Telem and UTS, though the abstract does not identify them specifically.
“A key recommendation is for top-level managers to implement a blend of effective communication strategies to improve employee performance in a diverse workforce and sustain the business,” the abstract states.
Based on the Ernst&Young evaluation, Daniel herself has some work to do in this field that she ought to understand better than anyone else.
The Corporate Governance Council sees enough reason to sound the alarm: “Our reservations are strengthened by the outcome of her tenure as interim CEO of NV GEBE a short while ago.” The Council wonders whether any of the recommendations from the Ernst&Young report pertaining to Daniel have been put in place.
“It would be important to know if there were any structural training and development plans devised for Ms. Daniel to assist her in improving her communication and leadership skills during the interim period.”
