bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Katherine Forestier

Man tipped as next chairman goes as schools body looks for new talent to fill power vacuum

The man tipped to be the next chairman of the English Schools Foundation is the latest casualty in its leadership crisis.

Tim Hoffman, chairman of Island School Council, has resigned, putting him out of the running for the post of chairman vacated when Jal Shroff quit this month following the executive committee's failure to ratify the controversial appointment of Mike Haynes as chief executive.

As late as Monday, Mr Shroff was directing media calls to Mr Hoffman, describing him as the likely next chairman, an honorary position.

Mr Hoffman refused to elaborate:  'I am not commenting. I am not commenting. I am not saying anything about the ESF,' he said. The  former Island School student never confirmed he would stand as chair but he told the South China Morning Post earlier this week: 'I would serve the foundation in any capacity I can. It is a wonderful organisation.'

David James, principal of Island School, confirmed Mr Hoffman had resigned. 'I am very sad. He has been a very good council chairman and has done a lot for the ESF.'

Sources said he had quit because of the criticism he had received for informing the South China Morning Post that the management committee - comprising the council chairs of all foundation schools - had voted unanimously against the appointment of Mr Haynes.

Mr Hoffman had been chair of that committee until last summer, but resigned in the wake of former chief executive Jonathan Harris' departure. Mr Hoffman was one of four executive committee members who received Mr Harris' damning letter of the ESF's management. He was criticised at the time for not keeping the committee informed of the events surrounding Mr Harris' sudden resignation,  sources said.

Mr Harris' letter was also copied to Mr Haynes, then chairman of the Joint Council of Parent Teacher Associations. He told the South China Morning Post this week he could not remember it, even though he would have been inheriting the problems alleged in it had he been ratified as chief executive officer.

'I don't recall the letter. It was written quite close to the time he was leaving and a lot of things were being said at the time,' he said. 'Of course I would have had to face the same issues but that was his spin on things. I would have had to take a new look at them.'

Mr Haynes was forced to resign from the JCPTA  to clear what he described as one of the hurdles to his appointment as chief executive.

Mr Hoffman's resignation means that there are now no senior foundation members who held key roles in the past in a position to stand for chairman when the foundation meets on March 1.

On Thursday, members met for an informal meeting, to be briefed on the process of the election of chair and vice-chair, the first held since Mr Shroff was selected nine years ago.

One foundation member said the ESF  needed to move away from the 'benevolent dictatorship' of recent years. 'We need an environment where we can create a culture of communication, consultation and consensus,' he said. It needed to avoid those associated with the Shroff era, which has culminated in revelations that an inner core of executive members failed to inform  stakeholders of the gravity of problems encountered by Mr Harris.

Several names from within the foundation are being discussed. But there are concerns that it may be hard to find the best leader within the membership of about 150.

'There was talk about looking beyond the membership,' said David Reeves, chairman of the staff council and of the ESF's teachers' association. 'There was a feeling that it would be great to get a chair of stature within Hong Kong society. We need someone with great talent and great touch, who can skilfully repair our reputation,' he said. 'The key issue is getting management back on track.'

The ESF's ordinance requires the chairman to be elected from the foundation membership, which includes representatives from school councils and parent teacher associations, as well as principals and teacher representatives. Key institutions in the community are also represented, including the government, legislative council, professional groups, four universities and the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, among others.

David Dodwell, a crisis management specialist with GolinHarris Forrest, appointed to advise the ESF,  said of the chairman's role: 'This is not glamorous work. It is a sleeves rolled up, serious task, dealing with problems.' But he was confident there were enough people who cared deeply about the ESF who would come forward.

Extracts from the Harris letter - E5



Crisis deepens as another ESF leader resigns