Ex-NHE board defends CFO appointment
Gawanas-Vugs ‘excelled in acting capacity’
NHE has promoted its manager for corporate finance, Beverly Gawanas-Vugs, to chief financial officer - despite claims that she does not meet the requirements to occupy that office.
Jemima Beukes
Windhoek
Former National Housing Enterprises (NHE) board chairperson Sam Shivute has defended a decision by the parastatal’s former board to appoint Beverly Gawanas-Vugs as its chief financial officer, despite not meeting the requirements initially advertised for the position.
Gawanas-Vugs replaced Jeremiah Ntinda, who left NHE in 2021.
Upon his departure, the enterprise enlisted the help of an employment agency to identify his successor.
Some of the recruitment conditions required the successful candidate to be qualified as a chartered accountant and be a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia as well as possess an MBA or master’s degree with 10 years’ experience at middle management level.
Gawanas-Vugs is said not to have met those requirements.
Shivute told Namibian Sun this week that Gawanas-Vugs acted in the position after Ntinda left while the process of appointing a substantive chief financial officer (CFO) was underway.
NHE failed on two occasions to fill the position, with sources saying qualified chartered accountants were not willing to accept the salary offered.
In the meantime, Shivute said Gawanas-Vugs excelled in the acting capacity, which convinced the board to appoint her.
Best interest
“The decision to support this promotion of a previously disadvantaged Namibian was done in the best interest of the company. Whilst [Gawanas-Vugs] was acting as CFO, she did an excellent job in managing and accounting for the financial affairs of NHE,” he said.
“She has completed the relevant articles and is a seasoned financial professional.
“The board is the highest decision-making body of NHE and it was within its ambits to bless and support the promotion.”
In 2021, Gawanas-Vugs was one of the chief petitioners calling the board not to renew CEO Gisbertus Mukulu’s employment contract.
She was subsequently suspended, along with three other managers, before they were reinstated.
In 2018, she was sacked from the Namibia Airports Company board, where she was acting chairperson, but challenged works minister John Mutorwa through her lawyers, leading to her reinstatement.
[email protected]
Windhoek
Former National Housing Enterprises (NHE) board chairperson Sam Shivute has defended a decision by the parastatal’s former board to appoint Beverly Gawanas-Vugs as its chief financial officer, despite not meeting the requirements initially advertised for the position.
Gawanas-Vugs replaced Jeremiah Ntinda, who left NHE in 2021.
Upon his departure, the enterprise enlisted the help of an employment agency to identify his successor.
Some of the recruitment conditions required the successful candidate to be qualified as a chartered accountant and be a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia as well as possess an MBA or master’s degree with 10 years’ experience at middle management level.
Gawanas-Vugs is said not to have met those requirements.
Shivute told Namibian Sun this week that Gawanas-Vugs acted in the position after Ntinda left while the process of appointing a substantive chief financial officer (CFO) was underway.
NHE failed on two occasions to fill the position, with sources saying qualified chartered accountants were not willing to accept the salary offered.
In the meantime, Shivute said Gawanas-Vugs excelled in the acting capacity, which convinced the board to appoint her.
Best interest
“The decision to support this promotion of a previously disadvantaged Namibian was done in the best interest of the company. Whilst [Gawanas-Vugs] was acting as CFO, she did an excellent job in managing and accounting for the financial affairs of NHE,” he said.
“She has completed the relevant articles and is a seasoned financial professional.
“The board is the highest decision-making body of NHE and it was within its ambits to bless and support the promotion.”
In 2021, Gawanas-Vugs was one of the chief petitioners calling the board not to renew CEO Gisbertus Mukulu’s employment contract.
She was subsequently suspended, along with three other managers, before they were reinstated.
In 2018, she was sacked from the Namibia Airports Company board, where she was acting chairperson, but challenged works minister John Mutorwa through her lawyers, leading to her reinstatement.
[email protected]
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