A General Meeting was held on 21 April 2026 for members to consider and endorse a Motion proposing changes to the DSPANZ Constitution and Board structure. The Motion was supported by members, with all submitted votes in favour.
The proposed changes follow an independent review into DSPANZ’s governance, operations and future sustainability. The review identified opportunities to strengthen governance arrangements, improve operational structure and support DSPANZ’s future direction.
Members can read more about the review outcomes here.
What's Changing
The following changes to the DSPANZ Constitution and Board structure were endorsed:
- reducing the DSPANZ Board size to a maximum of 7 Directors
- introducing staggered Board terms with 3-year cycles
- 2 Board positions up for election each year, while retaining the maximum Director term of 6 years
- broadening Director eligibility so any individual can be nominated by a Financial Voting Member
- simplifying the Director appointment process, with vacant positions to be filled at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).
These changes are intended to support a more sustainable governance structure and operating model into the future.
Director Updates
Following the passing of the Motion, the size of the DSPANZ Board reduced from 9 to 7 Directors.
- Charles Gillman and Matthew Prouse resigned as Directors effective 21 April 2026.
- Charles will continue as Chair of the DSPANZ Security Committee.
- Matthew has agreed to take on the role of DSPANZ Secretary following Mike Behling’s decision to step down after more than 10 years supporting DSPANZ.
We thank Charles, Matthew and Mike for their significant contribution to DSPANZ and the broader business software sector.
Interim CEO
The Board has also moved to appoint an Interim CEO for an initial six-month period - Chris Denney has been appointed by the Board as the Interim CEO for this period.
The Interim CEO will have day-to-day responsibility of administrative and operational activities and core responsibility for development of DSPANZ future strategic direction and delivery of the DSPANZ renewal program. The renewal work will be undertaken in stages, with Board review and approval built into key decision points.
Looking ahead
We thank members for their continued support and engagement as DSPANZ moves into this next phase. We’ll continue keeping members updated as this work progresses. If you have any questions, please contact us at hello@dspanz.org.