Too many cooks: Who is really running PSO?
Chairman accused of interfering beyond his mandate.
ISLAMABAD:
The chairman Board of Management (BoM) of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Suhail Wajahat is said to be running the affairs instead of the managing director and interfering in daily running of the affairs of the company, despite being a non-executive functionary.
Sources told The Express Tribune that direct interaction with staff of PSO by Wajahat has led to mismanagement in affairs of the company and confusion among the top management.
According to sources the former PSO chairman BoM had to resign after the former managing director (MD) had levelled the same charges in a letter written to the prime minister. One chairman board of directors of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) was also reportedly asked to leave the office due to allegations he had been interacting directly with the senior officers of the company.
And now the same is happening in PSO. “The senior employees of the company are confused and do not know whether to report to the chairman of the board or the managing director,” sources said.
Senior employees of the company who asked not to be named say that in the interest of good corporate governance, the chairman should refrain from getting involved in the daily running of the company, which is the managing director’s domain.
Citing an example of mismanagement, sources said that PSO management had promoted one deputy general manager to general manager and placed at the Islamabad office. The management was then forced to withdraw the notification when they found out that this could not be done without the approval of the BoM.
Sources said that the chairman of the board had also called a meeting of senior officials working in Lahore and Islamabad, directly.
When contacted Chairman Board of Management PSO Suhail Wajahat denied the allegations but said that he had to meet employees to discuss various issues regarding board meetings. “I have to interact with officials of the company as chairman of the board to discuss issues to be tabled in meetings of board of management. Sometimes, I have to interact with officials after some complaints are received relating to some affairs of the company.”
When asked why the communications are not made through the managing director of PSO, he quickly added “The whole communication is done through MD as I write to him on some issues and he responds me.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2011.
The chairman Board of Management (BoM) of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Suhail Wajahat is said to be running the affairs instead of the managing director and interfering in daily running of the affairs of the company, despite being a non-executive functionary.
Sources told The Express Tribune that direct interaction with staff of PSO by Wajahat has led to mismanagement in affairs of the company and confusion among the top management.
According to sources the former PSO chairman BoM had to resign after the former managing director (MD) had levelled the same charges in a letter written to the prime minister. One chairman board of directors of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) was also reportedly asked to leave the office due to allegations he had been interacting directly with the senior officers of the company.
And now the same is happening in PSO. “The senior employees of the company are confused and do not know whether to report to the chairman of the board or the managing director,” sources said.
Senior employees of the company who asked not to be named say that in the interest of good corporate governance, the chairman should refrain from getting involved in the daily running of the company, which is the managing director’s domain.
Citing an example of mismanagement, sources said that PSO management had promoted one deputy general manager to general manager and placed at the Islamabad office. The management was then forced to withdraw the notification when they found out that this could not be done without the approval of the BoM.
Sources said that the chairman of the board had also called a meeting of senior officials working in Lahore and Islamabad, directly.
When contacted Chairman Board of Management PSO Suhail Wajahat denied the allegations but said that he had to meet employees to discuss various issues regarding board meetings. “I have to interact with officials of the company as chairman of the board to discuss issues to be tabled in meetings of board of management. Sometimes, I have to interact with officials after some complaints are received relating to some affairs of the company.”
When asked why the communications are not made through the managing director of PSO, he quickly added “The whole communication is done through MD as I write to him on some issues and he responds me.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2011.