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Published On: Thu, Jul 22nd, 2021

Shareholder fires airport board members

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PHILIPSBURG — The Council of Ministers has fired Glenn Daniel and Rochelle Hodge from their positions on the supervisory board of directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport Holding Company (PJIAH). With their removal the cleanup of the holding board is complete. Earlier managing director Dexter Doncher was relieved of his duties.

Cleveland Beresford Jr. and Lisandra Havertong-Ellis now form the new board together with Schiphol Group representative Jim Fazio.

The complete Council of Ministers, acting as the shareholder representative for the holding company signed on to the dismissals in a meeting on Tuesday, July 20. The dismissals have the approval of the Corporate Governance Council.

Daniel and Hodge were informed in writing about their imminent dismissal on July 13. In a letter dated July 6, the two board members contested the grounds for their dismissal but they indicated that they would not take part in a hearing to defend their positions.

As grounds for the dismissals, the shareholder cites “serious breaches of corporate duties and rules and regulations governing PJIAH.”

Specifically, the shareholder reproaches Daniel and Hodge for excluding board member Jim Fazio from board meetings and from the decisions they took in his absence. They also approved preparations for the appointment of new members to the supervisory board of PJIAE (the operating company) “without following the binding recommendations” of this board. The two fired board members also allowed director Doncher “to explore options for alternative financing without transparent communications to all other corporate bodies and stakeholders and without observing the corporate interests of PJIAE and PJIAH.”

In the resolution that details the dismissals, the shareholder states that it has lost confidence that Daniel and Hodge will be supportive and take the necessary steps to comply with the existing arrangements for the airport reconstruction and proper corporate governance of the holding and the operating company.

The resolution states that Daniel and Hodge have “at least contributed to the threat by the Schiphol Group to withdraw from its participation in the airport reconstruction project and the suspension of the Covid-19 relief liquidity support by the Netherlands.”

By acting the way they did, Daniel and Hodge have “jeopardized the entire airport reconstruction project and the general interest of country St. Maarten and its people.”

The shareholder also dismissed Daniel as the holding’s acting managing director.