The Director of Danske Vandværker, Susan Münster, has been appointed as the new chairman of Odsherred Forsyning after being appointed by the Odsherred City Council and an extraordinary general meeting.
Odsherred City Council appointed a new chairman and an ordinary member of the board for Odsherred Forsyning at a meeting on Tuesday evening. The appointments were subsequently approved at an extraordinary general meeting of the utility.
The new chairman is the director of Danske Vandværker, Susan Münster, while the director of the Association for Decentralized Energy, Niels Larsen, becomes an ordinary member of the board.
Thus, the city council leaves it to the board of Odsherred Forsyning to find a member for the last vacant seat on the board, which the city council could actually appoint. In this way, the city council wishes to give the board the opportunity to determine for themselves what competencies they may want to add, according to a press release from Odsherred Municipality.
Mayor: There are serious problems
Mayor of Odsherred Municipality, Karina Vincentz Andersen, motivated the recommendation of the chairman and the ordinary member at the council meeting. Here, she argued that the two appointments to the board apply for the remaining part of the council term, contrary to the usual four years.
- It is clear that there are serious problems in Odsherred Forsyning, and it therefore requires some special skills to get through it, explained the mayor and emphasized that the appointment is very important – and not just for Odsherred Forsyning.
- It has a very significant impact on the municipality’s economy and a very significant impact on many citizens who need the things that Odsherred Forsyning provides, said Karina Vincentz Andersen, who could note that the appointment had full support from the city council.
Knows the utility industry
Susan Münster is currently the director of the industry association Danske Vandværker and has previously been the director of Holbæk Forsyning. Thus, she is both known and familiar with the utility sector.
One of her first tasks as chairman of the board will be to find a new director, as the current CEO, Fanny Villadsen, announced shortly before the council meeting on Tuesday evening that she was stepping down from the position.
- Our assessment is that Odsherred Forsyning in the current situation needs a chairman with significant insight and experience from the utility sector, states municipal director Claus Steen Madsen, who until shortly before the council meeting on Tuesday evening was himself intended to be chairman of the board.
This was allegedly changed after advice from the municipality’s lawyers, the municipality writes in a press release.
- First and foremost, it is crucial that I can fulfill my tasks in relation to the City Council, and that these are in no way weakened by my taking on the role of chairman of the board. If I take on the role of chairman, I will not be able to advise and guide the City Council in all cases, nor will I be able to participate in significantly important case preparation,” says Claus Steen Madsen.
May 1, 2024 | Text by Kim Vejrup, kve@danskfjernvarme.dk, The Danish District Heating Association | Translated by DBDH