B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (AANZ) has established Co-Chair positions to steward and support the implementation of its new governance model. The refreshed approach to governance, launched last month, responds to the growth and diversity of Australasia’s B Corp movement, and emphasises the value that B Lab places on collaborative leadership.
Mele-Ane Havea, who has served as B Lab AANZ Chair since 2013, will be joined in the Co-Chair role by Alex Hannant, who has served on the B Lab Board since 2016 and played an active role in the design of the new governance model.
In addition to the core Board, the new governance model will see B Lab AANZ launch a new B Council and also a Horizon Council in the year ahead. The B Council will be a forum where B Corps will have greater voice and representation in respect to the development of B Lab and the B Corp movement. The Horizon Council will provide a more expansive space to gather perspectives and ensure B Lab AANZ is advancing the broader movement’s higher-level goals of fostering an economic system that serves all people and the planet. The Horizon Council will also enable B Lab AANZ to engage more coherently with other actors working towards aligned goals. The Board, B Council, and Horizon Council are designed to work as interconnected elements of a governance system, stewarded by the Co-Chairs, other Board members and the CEO.
Mele-Ane said, “B Lab AANZ’s governance requirements are dynamic and demanding – overseeing the growth of a certification body with high standards, ensuring the sustainability of the business model, while also enabling a diverse community of businesses, all as part of a global movement working towards a more fair and just economy. The various moving pieces require input from a “system” of governance as opposed to a more traditional board allowing us to harness our collective intelligence.”
Alex said, “I’m honoured to serve as Co-Chair and contribute to both B Lab AANZ’s new governance model and future. If we’re serious about systems change, we need ways of working that are comparable in nature and fit for purpose. The new governance structure simultaneously provides for control, deliberation and sense-making. This will equip the organisation with the accountabilities and direction it needs to run well and further foster the development of the B Corp movement.”
The initial sharing of responsibilities will see Mele-Ane continue to lead the Board while Alex adds capacity to stand-up the new governance forums. It is intended that these roles evolve over time and also survive both the governance transition and recruitment of new directors – providing B Lab AANZ’s Board with greater diversity, resilience and capacity for the long-term.
B Lab AANZ’s will invite expressions of interest for both the B Council and new Board members from 29 October. The Board continues to be supported by its ongoing members, Alan Dayeh (Managing Principal, NSW, Point Advisory) and Carly Hammond (Head of Marketing, RIAA).
About Mele-Ane Havea
Mele-Ane is the CEO of the Small Giants Academy which through educational programs & courses, storytelling and community activations seeks to catalyse better leadership for a more hopeful future. For the last decade she has worked across the Small Giants portfolio of businesses (either as investment manager or within the business). She co-created the Pasifika Storytellers Collective, a space for Pasifika storytellers to come together, share, create and support one another. Previously she worked as a corporate and community lawyer (in Australia, Abu Dhabi and the Netherlands) and holds an MBA and Skoll Associate Fellowship from Oxford Said Business School.
About Alex Hannant
Alex is currently Professor of Practice and Co-Director of The Yunus Centre at Griffith University. The Centre leads the University’s work in the field of impact-led innovation. Previously, Alex was CEO of the Ākina Foundation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Before that, based in the UK, he was Director of Programmes at LEAD – a global network focused on leadership and sustainable development, and also Head of Partnerships at the Climate and Development Knowledge Network.
