Four VFA directors resign

Four members of the Board of Directors of the VFA-Interlift e.V. have resigned. Following a board meeting at the beginning of May, they had called on the chairman, Achim Hütter, to resign.

"Quo vadis VFA?" – in a press release with this title, the treasurer Birgit Zaunegger and the members Julia Mayland, Ivette Radetzky and Klaus-Peter Kapp explained the reasons for their decision. For some time, "a shift in the perception of the mandate and priorities regarding the discharge of duties had been noticeable" on the part of some members of the Board of Directors, according to the press release, in which the chairman, Hütter, is also accused of misconduct.

In the course of the meeting on 6 May, two camps then emerged in the Board of Directors of the VFA – "[which] came as a great surprise, also when considering the gender of the directors." One camp was committed to pragmatism and the wellbeing of the members, the other to in part personal, political interests.

More information: You can download the "Quo vadis VFA?" press release here.As the result of a crucial vote, far-reaching decisions were then taken. In the view of the treasurer of the VFA, as well as of three other directors (Radetzky, Mayland and Kapp), these would result in such deleterious developments for the members that they felt compelled as directors to resign. However, to avoid being accused of not having done everything in their power, the directors mentioned called on the chairman, Hütter, to resign on 15.05.2021," the press release continued.

"The pandemic exacerbated this situation"

The remaining four directors, Achim Hütter, Michael Gubisch (deputy chairman) and the members Andreas Hönnige and Rudolf Ramseier, then published a press statement on behalf of the VFA-Interlift. "Different views on future orientation are not unusual in associations," according to Achim Hütter, chairman of the VFA Board of Directors with regard to the accusations of the directors who had resigned. "The pandemic exacerbated this situation. Following a difficult year, we will now concentrate on the further development of the academy, prepare the interlift and stabilise our finances."

More information: You can download the press statement on behalf of the VFA-Interlift here. He had assumed the chairmanship of the VFA Board of Directors 24 years earlier "in order to strengthen the SMEs in the sector." This task was more important than ever. Consequently, together with his director colleagues and the VFA office, he would not abandon the work done from one day to the next. The over 230 VFA members should decide on this. The next election for the Board of Directors, which took place every three years, was planned for February 2022. "I am not clinging to my position. But I am in favour of objective and properly addressed arguments. The nature and manner this is being handled at the moment is not healthy for our association," Hütter continued.

"We, the remaining directors, will carry on with our work with the customary quality and professionalism as long as we have a mandate from our members," stated Michael Gubisch, deputy VFA chairman and responsible for trade fairs since 2007. "As the VFA, we are actively involved in the design and conduct of the interlift. Consequently, even if this leads to criticism, we should keep calm and do our work," Gubisch said.

More information: vfa-interlift.de