Airport.

[Roger Mexico]

I remarked ten days ago when someone suggested this as a possibility: 

On 9/20/2024 at 4:45 PM, Roger Mexico said:

Well it would be in line with the usual IOMG practice of discovering someone is useless at their job and so rewarding them with a promotion to get them out of the way.  But usually they try to palm them off elsewhere.

I did get the the impression at the Conference that the Interim Director would be someone internal while a permanent one was recruited from outside (naturally they haven't started yet).  I would have thought they would be on the admin side and I doubt Pugh would have the right pieces of paper (this was part of the problem with Spake) but if HR are involved who can tell what will be done.

However I missed a recent addition to his Linkedin:

It's worth looking at the full extent of his Linkedin to remind ourselves just how little managerial experience he had before he came to IOM Airport:

In a twenty year career as a forces ATCO he only ever made Deputy Senior for 20 months at the end of the period and then was involved as a Manager at a drone-training company.  Given how the forces are always supposed to picking people for leadership roles, they don't seem to have spotted him.

[Albert Tatlock]

37 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse.

Shot down a record 8 planes...

...and some of them were the enemy.

[asitis]

I understand Mr Cobb was left in no doubt where problems lay at the airport but chose not to do anything about it !

[littlebushy]

Those flower beds are fucking depressing.

[Two-lane]

9 minutes ago, littlebushy said:

Those flower beds are fucking depressing.

Not to mention the barriers and traffic cones. And some grim looking bugger getting involved. Some people, when getting a publicity shot taken, attempt a suspicion of a smile. Other don't.

[Nellie]

51 minutes ago, madmanxpilot said:

An interesting press release.
 

I’m also heard earlier and read  just now that IOM CAA have accepted Matt Shaw becoming the accountable manager for safety and security. He’s also responsible for the day to running of the airport. This seems a bit odd to me. Is Mr Pugh Director in name only and simply a figurehead?

So, I wonder if this means Mr Shaw is effectively in charge of ATC now, and Pugh is sidelined into doing the strategic and political stuff. Would be a typical IOMG solution to 'promote' a problem, give them more money, but less influence, rather than address the issue properly?

[madmanxpilot]

3 minutes ago, Nellie said:

So, I wonder if this means Mr Shaw is effectively in charge of ATC now, and Pugh is sidelined into doing the strategic and political stuff. Would be a typical IOMG solution to 'promote' a problem, give them more money, but less influence, rather than address the issue properly?

On the face of it, that’s all it can be. @Roger Mexico alludes to the fact that it does tend to be the MO of IOMG in such situations.

I do hope that the position makes his CV more attractive to potential future employers.

[Roger Mexico]

46 minutes ago, madmanxpilot said:

Also, I have it on good authority that he was never a pilot despite what the release says.

The actual official press release doesn't mention anything about being a pilot. In fact it doesn't mention much:

Geoff Pugh has been appointed Interim Airport Director with immediate effect.

Geoff has been involved in aviation for over 30 years, and with Isle of Man Airport for the past five years as Head of Air Traffic Services.

The position will be undertaken on an interim basis while work takes place to recruit a permanent replacement for outgoing Airport Director Gary Cobb.

Department of Infrastructure Chief Officer Emily Curphey said:

‘Geoff has a huge amount of experience to bring to the role. Allied with his knowledge of the airport and its people, this will ensure the facility is in capable hands while the recruitment process takes place for a permanent Airport Director.’

‘The Department would like to record its thanks to Gary for his hard work during his time in the role’

Geoff said:

‘I look forward to working closely with the Minister and Members, Non-Executives, senior management and the entire airport team to continue serving our Island community.’

Odd that the made-up quote is 'from' Curphey rather than the Minister, Crookall no doubt uncontactable on some foreign beach.  And no mention of Matt Shaw at all.

Presumably the pilot thing was iomtoday misreading the Linkedin.  Though I can't see from the latter how he was "involved in aviation for over 30 years", unless that means he caught a plane to go to university.

[madmanxpilot]

6 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

Presumably the pilot thing was iomtoday misreading the Linkedin

Perhaps - as that’s where I read it.

[Roger Mexico]

42 minutes ago, asitis said:

I understand Mr Cobb was left in no doubt where problems lay at the airport but chose not to do anything about it !

Given that most people on the Island seem to know the problem, I doubt he was ignorant.  But knowing what the problem is and being able to tackle it are different situations.  Sacking an established senior manager is never easy, even in a private company.  And Pugh must have support in the HR etc bureaucracy, otherwise the job wouldn't have been created for him in the first place.

Perhaps if Thomas had not been sacked, Cobb might have had the backing to manage him out, but Crookall, like most of the Cannan administration, has no interest in anything except the easiest life possible.

[Molly Coddle]

12 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

Given that most people on the Island seem to know the problem, I doubt he was ignorant.  But knowing what the problem is and being able to tackle it are different situations.  Sacking an established senior manager is never easy, even in a private company.  And Pugh must have support in the HR etc bureaucracy, otherwise the job wouldn't have been created for him in the first place.

Perhaps if Thomas had not been sacked, Cobb might have had the backing to manage him out, but Crookall, like most of the Cannan administration, has no interest in anything except the easiest life possible.

Maybe Cobb didn’t want to manage him out.  Maybe Cobb was  just as much a part of the problem?

[Tinpot]

The last couple of pages remind me why I would never want a job in a position of authority in the public sector here.

[Vaaish]

23 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

…Crookall, like most of the Cannan administration, has no interest in anything except the easiest life possible.

And if that wasn’t enough, is both stupid and incompetent.

Edited 58 minutes ago by Vaaish

[Banker]

1 hour ago, madmanxpilot said:

An interesting press release.
 

I also heard earlier and read  just now that IOM CAA have accepted Matt Shaw becoming the accountable manager for safety and security. He’s also responsible for the day to running of the airport. This seems a bit odd to me. Is Mr Pugh Director in name only and simply a figurehead?

Who’s Matt Shaw?

[Jarndyce]

1 hour ago, Manx Mole said:

Mr Pugh has been appointed interim AD, with responsibility for policy, political and stakeholder matters

He’s come a long way since he was Charlie Drake’s boss…