UNICEF IRELAND will advertise for a new executive director in the coming weeks and possible candidates for the post have already contacted the charity, according to a spokesman.
Following a weekend of further acrimonious exchanges between the charity’s former executive director, Melanie Verwoerd, and its board, the spokesman said yesterday that the recruitment of a replacement would begin in the coming weeks and would involve a “rigorous interview and selection process”.
Ms Verwoerd was dismissed on July 15th by e-mail and given an ex gratia payment of €200,000 – two years’ salary – as compensation.
The charity denied over the weekend that it had dismissed the South African national because of the media treatment of her relationship with the late broadcaster Gerry Ryan, but said it was because she did not see it as an issue that needed to be “controlled and contained”.
In a statement, the charity said Ms Verwoerd had refused to allow the board to appoint a different spokesperson for six months to allow media focus to move away from her private life and back on to the charity’s work.
In turn Ms Verwoerd released a letter sent to her from Unicef chairman Paul Connolly, dated June 20th, 2011.
Mr Connolly's letter says: "At its meeting this afternoon the board considered the negative impact on Unicef of ongoing press reports concerning your private life . . . such reports competed with and in some media, overshadowed the recent release of the second report of our Changing the Futurereport series."
In its weekend statement, the charity said it had “never publicly confirmed or denied its concern” over the issue before now.
“The board sought, for the sake of all persons involved (including Unicef Ireland) and the memory of the late Mr Ryan, to avoid bringing this sensitive matter into the glare of the media,” it said.
“Instead, it sought to address the matter in a professional, open and dignified manner with Ms Verwoerd with the objective of working together with her to agree how best to ensure that this situation was corrected ultimately for the sake of the children Unicef serves.”
It added: “The board was very sympathetic to Ms Verwoerd over her loss and has supported her in the period following his untimely death.”
It said fundamental to the effectiveness of the charity was “alignment and co-operation between a board and its chief executive”.
“Without this, the organisation cannot function and will fail.”
The statement added that, over the past year, Unicef Ireland’s story had been overshadowed by the “stories relating to the private life of its executive director” and that the charity had to find a way to overcome and control this situation.
“Regrettably, Ms Verwoerd would not agree to the board’s suggestion that she entrust the function of spokesperson for Unicef Ireland to another executive for a period of six months in order to facilitate a refocusing of media interest on to Unicef Ireland’s work.
“Ms Verwoerd lost the confidence of the board of Unicef Ireland.”
Ms Verwoerd has indicated her intention to take a case against her former employers to the Employment Appeals Tribunal. She said she believed the “personal agendas of a small number of people” were at the heart of the issue.
Unicef Ireland said it would defend its decision at the tribunal.
