George Kidd resigns as Chief Executive of PhonepayPlus

[mike99]

George Kidd resigns as Chief Executive of PhonepayPlus

16 October 2008


The PhonepayPlus Board today accepted George Kidd's resignation from his post as Chief Executive, effective 31 October. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Paul Whiteing, currently Director of Policy and Innovation.



Alistair Graham, Chairman of PhonepayPlus, said "George's achievements at PhonepayPlus during the past eight years have been many and varied. It is with great regret that I accept his resignation - no one has done more to build trust in the fast-moving market for phone-paid services."



"I am immensely proud of the work PhonepayPlus has done to make sure both consumers and businesses receive a fair deal," said George Kidd. "Together, we have forged a productive new relationship with Ofcom, proactively addressed problems in certain parts of the market and created a new identity that brings us closer to all our stakeholders.



"New challenges emerge every day. Now is the right time for the Board to appoint a new Chief Executive who will be able to face these challenges from a position of strength."

[El Gringo]

"I am immensely proud of the work PhonepayPlus has done to make sure both consumers and businesses receive a fair deal," said George Kidd.

the blokes a ******* tosser

[mike99]

Not quite how I might have put it, but I do think most observers would find it difficult to describe George's stint as Chief Executive of PhonepayPlus as one of unalloyed triumph and success.

It would appear that he still remains on the board however:

http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/about/PhonepayPlus/board/default.asp

They all had new mug-shots done at the last board meeting. Sorry to say this, because it's not really relevant to the question of how well he does his job, but I can't help noticing that George looks more and more like a composite of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny each time I see him.

Sir Ali G, on the other hand, gets to look (and sound and behave) more and more like Harry Worth ................ for those of you old enough to remember who he was.

[Hamlet]

"no one has done more to build trust in the fast-moving market for phone-paid services."
I have not enough english vocabulary to comment this statement.
Was für ein Geschwätz

[mike99]

Are there some clues in the latest minutes I wonder?

7.3.2 Budget 2009/10

George Kidd presented a paper on the 09/10 Budget, He highlighted the case for continued reforms in line with the pre-empt and prevent agenda and explored how this principle could be applied in relation to complaint-led investigation work in ways that would change behaviours to improve compliance, reduce harm and do so within a budget that had regard to market conditions.

[code for: the PRS crooks are not making quite as much money as they were therefore we should go easy on them - mike99]
.

[something deleted here but the full-stop has been left behind - mike99]

The Board recognised the need to have regard to market conditions and stakeholder concerns over regulatory cost. At the same time it was essential that PhonepayPlus dealt properly with those with complaints.

[code for: You can't go on simply ignoring complaints whenever you feel like it George, because people then go on to complain to Ofcom and their MPs and the Ombudsman and the press. Even if you do not think a complaint is valid you should at least acknowledge the complaint and explain why you are not proceeding with it; and when a complaint is valid you should be taking it further - regardless of bleatings from the "industry". - mike99]

The Chairman proposed that a group of members approve:-

• An informal procedure for managing small breaches
• The criteria for assuring that all complaints are identified and addressed, even if they do not lead to cases being opened.
• Risk assessment processes as to whether resources are correctly deployed to ensure PhonepayPlus can respond to new crises

[code for: You steadfastly ignored concerns about diallers, ringtones, "subscriptions", and TV based PRS fraud - until the media forced you to act - and we have no confidence you will not do exactly the same when the next crisis erupts. - mike99]

The group will consist of Ruth Evans, David Clarke and Bob Chilton working with Debbie Singh, George Kidd and Trays O’Reilly

[code for: We don't trust you to do this on your own. - mike99]

(Action: Trays O’Reilly)

Or am I reading too much between the lines?

Of course, what will be really interesting, is where George's name crops up next!

[mike99]

"no one has done more to build trust in the fast-moving market for phone-paid services."
I have not enough english vocabulary to comment this statement.
Was für ein Geschwätz

Originally Posted by Hamlet

On the other hand, I suppose that this statement is strictly true: no one has done more than George to build trust in phone-paid services - and therein lies the problem.

On the other other hand, this claim would be less misleading if it were qualified with another statement explaining that George had done absolutely nothing to build trust in phone-paid services.

[silentgenius]

[quote=mike99;223625]

It would appear that he still remains on the board however:


I think the board position goes with the CEO job, so he should be booted off that too....

..sound of champagne corks popping

[El Gringo]

word of caution
'He will be replaced on an interim basis by Paul Whiteing, currently Director of Policy and Innovation. '

this is the guy that claimed the Telecom One/Majorcan premium rate internet 'services' being operated throughout 2004 appeared to be compliant.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4397308.stm

[mike99]

[quote=silentgenius;223655]

It would appear that he still remains on the board however:


I think the board position goes with the CEO job, so he should be booted off that too....

..sound of champagne corks popping

Originally Posted by mike99

Not sure about this. If being a premium rate crook was no impediment to being on the board, is is hard to imagine that being (merely) a woefully ineffective CEO is any impediment. George was recently accepted onto the board in spite of his woeful record, so I don't see this latest development necessarily having any effect there.

Also (and before we break open the champagne) we have no idea why George has left. After all, he was carrying out the board's wishes to the letter in failing to tackle premium rate crime and often made pronouncements suggesting that he would have liked to have done more than the board wished him to do.

The recent minutes do seem to suggest that the new board are keen for PP+ to begin to actually do something about premium rate crime and that they have begun to cast a rather baleful eye over George's efforts, but it is also entirely possible that the reverse is true and that George has left because he was trying to do too much rather than because he was succeeding in doing so little. We just don't know.