Natasha Pedersen can be a board member for life in the Association for Children’s Palliative Care – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio

– I tried to get the articles of association changed so that power was distributed among several people, but did not succeed, says Jan-Erik Narvesen. He was chairman of the association for children’s palliative care (FFB) until spring 2021. Then Narvesen chose to resign after a disagreement with the secretary general and founder of the association, Natasha Pedersen. news revealed in October that the association behind the children’s hospice Andreas Hus in Kristiansand has spent large sums on handball advertising, design furniture and PR consultants. The entire board of the association recently resigned. The only one left is Pedersen. A new board will be elected at an extraordinary general meeting on 11 December. The association’s articles of association state that the general meeting is obliged to re-elect Pedersen if she so wishes. In reality, she can thus sit on the board for life: In the FFB’s statutes, it is stated that Natasha Pedersen “has the right to be re-elected”. Illustration: Jon Anders Møllen / news This was, among other things, what former chairman Narvesen reacted to and tried to change almost two years ago. Such statutes are not common for associations, but neither are they illegal, the Lotteries and Foundations Authority informs news. – Reports to himself news has asked Pedersen questions about her roles in the association. She did not want to answer the questions, and referred to then chairman Lisbeth Andersen. Last week, Andersen resigned as chairman. news will clarify that the interview was done before she resigned. Andersen said in the interview that she experienced that the association was governed in a democratic way. See the rest of the response from Andersen further down in the case. Narvesen believes that claiming the right to sit on a board does not belong in modern organizational life. – As long as she is employed as general secretary, it will be wrong for her to also be a board member. The general secretary is subordinate to the board of the association. In theory, you can therefore say that she reports to herself when she is also a board member, he believes. While a general secretary is a day-to-day manager in a larger organization or institution, a board member is elected to the board of a company or an organisation. Together with the chairman of the board, the board member is responsible for the company carrying out its tasks and complying with its obligations. Jan-Erik Narvesen was chairman of FFB for two years until last spring. He reacted to the way the association was run. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news – Not reached Former board chairman Narvesen believes that a board should be democratically elected by the members of the organisation. – Why didn’t you do something about this when you were on the board yourself? – The board tried to get the articles of association changed to avoid an unfortunate confusion of roles. Among other things, the majority insisted that the articles of association should be changed so that Natasha Pedersen could not hold both the role of general secretary and board member. Unfortunately, we didn’t get there, claims Narvesen. The board is elected by the general meeting each year. – The general secretary reports to the board as a whole and to the general meeting, not to himself, answered former chairman Lisbeth Andersen to questions from news. In January next year, the children’s hospice Andreas Hus is scheduled to open in Kristiansand. It should be an offer for seriously ill and dying children and their families. Photo: John-Andre Samuelsen / news Andersen has stated that the association is not alone in having this model. – When the association was founded, Stine Sofie’s Foundation was an important inspiration. Here they have the same model, where founder and general secretary Ada Sofie Austegard also sits on the board. news has seen documents from FFB board meetings that show attempts to change the articles of association. They say nothing about who voted what. – Unprofessional and undemocratic Narvesen is not the only one who reacts to Pedersen sitting as a board member for an indefinite period. Research manager Frode Gallefoss at Sørlandet Hospital says that he was involved in FFB a couple of years ago. It was in connection with doctoral projects that the association was to sponsor. – I resigned after a short period because I experienced FFB as unprofessional and undemocratic, says Gallefoss to news. One of the examples he cites is that Pedersen is a board member without a term limit. To this, former chairman Andersen has stated the following to news: – We take criticism and input into account, and use them in our discussions. We have had visits from party leaders, parliamentary representatives and a large number of professionals. I feel that it has happened in a professional and warm way. Natasha Pedersen is the founder and general secretary of the Association for Children’s Palliative Care. She also sits on the board. Photo: Anders Fehn / news – Not a good dual role Mayor of Kristiansand Jan Oddvar Skisland (Ap) is also critical of Natasha Pedersen having several roles in the association. – Basically, it is not a good dual role that Pedersen is both board member and general secretary, Skisland told news earlier this week. Natasha Pedersen did not want to comment on the mayor’s statements. Mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland also reacts to the role mix of Natasha Pedersen. Photo: Leif Dalen / news



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