Latest news with #McLauchlan
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Governance about realising responsibility for ‘whole piece'
Accountant and governor Rachel McLauchlan answers questions at a lunch for women in governance in Dunedin this week. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON Being asked to join a board is a privilege and aspiring directors need to understand it is a huge responsibility that must be taken seriously, Rachel McLauchlan says. Since returning to Dunedin 14 years ago after a decade working in London, Ms McLauchlan has developed a strong interest in governance across various sectors including property, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), manufacturing, technology and education. Responsibility for board decisions sat with everyone. "It's about everyone realising they are responsible for the whole piece," she said. It was while working for a United States-listed company in London that the chartered accountant had the opportunity to see so many different aspects of such a huge organisation, including strategic decisions being made. Questioning the reasons behind those decisions started to whet her interest in governance. That was coupled with her brother's own prominent career in business and governance and him talking to her about what was going on in his world. Describing herself as a very proud Dunedinite — and also very proud mother-of-three — Ms McLauchlan grew up in the city, attending both school and the University of Otago, completing degrees in commerce and law. After graduating, she moved to Auckland, embarking on her professional career at KPMG where she had an "amazing time", with exposure to many different industries, businesses and sectors. She later travelled overseas with her husband and landed a role with the US-listed company in London. Shifting from practice into industry was a big step, she recalled. Returning to Dunedin was also a big step professionally, having been away for quite some time. But she was loving living and working in the city and being part of the community. Her first network connection was through the Institute of Directors, an organisation which people encouraged her to join. Former branch manager Vivienne Seaton suggested she do the governance development programme and she discovered a "fantastic network of people". While she was an accountant and also did consulting, she was interested in exploring the governance space and the institute had been very good at opening the pathway and giving her ideas on how to do that and what skills she needed. She has served on the board of Whitestone Cheese and is currently on the boards of Otago Innovation, Hillcrest Properties, Columba College board of governors and is a trustee for the Transition to Work Trust. Asked who had been instrumental in her governance career, Ms McLauchlan said she had "just clicked" with Queenstown-based professional director Sarah Ottrey whom she got chatting to during a coffee break at an Institute of Directors national conference. Over time, she was someone she would bump into and, once she got to know her, she was able to "pick her brain" and ask her for ideas. "Sarah is just wonderful, she gives up so much time for people. You need someone like that in your life you can pick the phone up or ask a question," Ms McLauchlan said. Flipping that around, she now tried to do that with other people. Another influential person had been her late father who was also involved in the business community in Dunedin and was a very positive person, something that she also endeavoured to be. Management did not sometimes understand what governance was there for and what a director actually did. Some people were "almost scared" of board meetings and directors and that was a real shame. "Directors are on the team of the business, they are just part of the organisation. They are the umbrella on top of everything." For those starting their governance career, it was a huge learning curve particularly when they joined their first board because they were trying to understand not only a business, but also the terminology which could be very specific to that business. So it was about listening, particularly in that first year, and being respectful of institutional knowledge — "sitting there and tapping into it as much as you can". When considering a role, it was important to do due diligence — "please understand the financials of any organisation" — get a feel of it and ensure it was the right fit. Directors needed to be clear about why they wanted to be on a board. Many governors started their career in not-for-profit roles and the experience gained there, whether on school boards or sports organisations, threw up a huge amount of governance issues. "I think you see it all, I think it's great preparation for going into that commercial space." There was a "very delicate dance" between governance versus management and the critical thing in any board and management relationship was a good relationship and alignment between the chairman and chief executive. "If that relationship is not strong, the organisation is not going to flourish." Asked what directors were thinking about at the moment, she said board succession was relevant and, with that, a skills matrix. When looking at a board, it was important to understand the skills of each board member. "Everyone brings something different to the table." Lately there had been government policy changes and discussion around how that was impacting organisations. Boards were also grappling with the "tariff world". "It's quite an unsettled world at the moment and people are quite unsettled. Being aware of that is really important," she said. Plus, everyone was talking about artificial intelligence. While there was a lot of debate around it, Ms McLauchlan said it was "just another tool to use". Asked how her own values had supported her, Ms McLauchlan said being someone who was trustworthy was very important. "Trust for me is critical. Feeling like people can trust you and you can trust in someone else is really important. If you don't have that, you have a problem." Building connections and relationships with those you worked with was also important and having integrity and showing respect — even if you did not agree with a point of view — was critical, she said. Asked about imposter syndrome, Ms McLauchlan said "the feeling of being completely out of your comfort zone" was common going into a new board setting, but that was normal. If she was feeling a little uncomfortable, she would ask lots of questions — not necessarily at a board meeting — and, if she was not understanding things, she would reach out to the organisation. There was no such thing as a silly question. When it came to culture, that could change very quickly and it did not take much to upset the culture of a board, particularly if strong personalities were involved. "For me, a lot of culture comes from that respect that everyone has for each other and that philosophy of supporting each other and being aligned with the purpose of the organisation and what you're there for. "When you've got a good culture, work really hard to hold on to it," she said.
The Courier
08-05-2025
- The Courier
Thursday court round-up — Racist posters and sex scam blackmailer
A pensioner has admitted flyposting racist propaganda around Levenmouth in Fife. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, admitted he displayed posters which contained racist and offensive material, referencing 'p**i rape gangs'. He admitted that on various occasions between January 30 and February 15 this year, he communicated material a reasonable person would consider to be threatening, abusive or insulting. The 72-year-old posted the racist material at Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, Sainsbury's in Leven, Groban in Leven, Methilhaven Road in Methil and Wellesley Road in Methil. He admitted his behaviour breached of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. He accused stores in the Kingdom of being 'pedo shops'. McLauchlan, of Bayview Crescent in Methil, initially denied the offence when he first appeared in court from custody but tendered a guilty plea at a subsequent hearing. Sheriff John MacRitchie deferred sentencing until June 4 and ordered background reports. When the posters were discovered, one shopkeeper told The Courier: 'Unfortunately this is the reality of living in Scotland.' At the time, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'The content of these posters is very concerning and we recognise the impact this may have on our communities. 'The posters that have been discovered have since been removed, however, we would urge the public to report instances of this nature to police immediately if they come across it.' Convicted blackmailer made menacing phone calls to an Iraqi general, demanding the 'return' of his daughter to Dundee – then made up a stolen gold plot to convince him to drop criminal charges. The takeaway chef was jailed in 2022 for attempting to extort £37,000 from the officer by threatening to continue posting naked snaps of his adult daughter online. He was back in court to admit making abusive calls to his target's home in Iraq. A man has appeared in court accused of thefts in Perthshire. , 35, from Hamilton, appeared in private facing three charges of theft by housebreaking. He made no plea and was committed for further examination and granted bail. The brief court hearing took place after police revealed arrests had been made following alleged 'high-value' thefts from distilleries in Blackford and Crieff last month. A Perth blackmailer who tried to extort money from her vulnerable victim with a false sex assault claim has been jailed. lured the man to her flat, where he kissed her and placed his hand on her. She then told him she would have him charged with sexual assault and asked for his wallet. The man left after another male entered the room and told him: 'That's my girlfriend'. Perth Sheriff Court heard how the second man told Furlong: 'Don't let him leave. Lock the door.' The victim panicked and offered to withdraw money from an ATM but when he got outside he flagged down a passing car and told them he was scared of Furlong. She warned him: 'I have video of you grabbing my boobs and f***y and kissing me. 'You have 10 minutes until I phone the police.' The victim took screenshots of the messages and passed them to police and Furlong was arrested. She denied wrongdoing and claimed the victim had edited the incriminating messages to make her look bad. She told detectives the man had forced himself upon her and had subsequently offered her £400 not to go to the police. Furlong, 29, from Perth, admitted acting with another to menace the man with the intention of extorting £80 from him on December 28 2021. She was jailed for 10 months when she returned for sentencing on Wednesday. A drunken driver who demolished part of a village bridge and smashed into a parked car in Perthshire was weeks later caught motoring down the M90 at six times the legal limit. accelerated into the side of a stone crossing in Dunning centre, before steering her Volvo into a stationary Land Rover. 12 weeks later, she called for help from a motorway telephone, claiming she had run out of fuel near Perth. A man struck his ex-partner's head off a wall and dragged her down a set of stairs during a violent attack in Dundee. , 28, was previously found guilty by a sheriff of assaulting the woman on September 8 last year. Following his trial at the city's sheriff court, Kane was convicted of acting aggressively, damaging an oven by striking it, punching a door and smashing a glass off his head. Kane pulled a necklace off the woman, seized her hair and neck and struck her on the head to her injury. He struck her head off a wall, kicked her body, seized her hair and dragged her down a set of stairs. Solicitor Kevin Hampton said: 'He has maintained his position and the evidence he gave at trial but accepts that whatever happened that night is not what should have happened and is very remorseful about his behaviour. 'He understands he has to be punished.' Kane was ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael. A two-year non-harassment order was also imposed. A prominent domestic abuse campaigner from Perthshire, who was found guilty of physical and sexual abuse of children, has been jailed for three years. – who ran the domestic abuse support group Brodie's Trust – denied assaulting the children over a 20-year period but was found guilty by a jury following a trial. A paranoid bricklayer went through his partner's phone, then smashed the device in a Premier Inn room after a wedding. Police were called to the St Andrews hotel after guests in an adjacent room heard 's alarming rampage. Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Taylor's partner was woken in the early hours of the morning by him aggressively shouting. Prosecutor Kate Scarborough said: 'He had been looking through the complainer's phone and this has been the trigger. 'There was a verbal argument between them. The accused took the phone and smashed it on the side of a cabinet, which caused the screen to smash. 'He became angrier and started to throw property and furniture around.' Taylor, of Edinburgh, pled guilty to behaving abusively and damaging property in a room at the hotel on December 29 2024. Solicitor Alanna Bryant said the 32-year-old was in the grips of a cocaine addiction at the time and is in recovery. She said Taylor and his partner are still in a relationship. As an alternative to custody, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael placed Taylor on supervision for 18 months with a requirement to engage with addiction services.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's ‘trade war' affecting some local beverage businesses
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Tariffs and threats of tariffs are affecting businesses across the U.S. including in Austin. Last week, the Trump administration threatened to put a 200% tariff on alcohol coming from Europe in response to a European Union proposal to put a 50% tariff on America-made whiskey. This tariff threat follows a 25% tariff President Donald Trump put on aluminum and steel imports from Canada. 'It's frustrating,' said Ross McLauchlan, CEO of the Austin Winery. 'What we're not having is stability from an economic perspective, [in terms of] our trade with our nearest partners,' he added. 'That has a major effect on small businesses [and] large businesses, not just exporters and importers.' The Austin Winery produces a great deal of Texas wine. It's popular among Texans, but McLauchlan said they sell much of their product to wine lovers in Canada and Europe. 'Ironically, Texas wines are very exotic to the Canadian and European markets. We also sell to Hong Kong and Japan,' McLauchlan said. When the trade war took off, McLauchlan said they saw an immediate drop in sales to international consumers. According to Canadian-owned market researcher Leger, two-thirds of Canadians have reduced their purchases of American products, both online and in stores. 'There's been a complete boycott on American wine products [and] spirits to Canada,' McLauchlan said. 'It's sad that we'll have that loss.' McLauchlan said with the decline in international purchases, he's been in search of new markets that might appreciate his Texas wine. 'We're doing our best to mitigate [the loss] and focus on our local environment,' McLauchlan said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
King County deputy, first to identify Ted Bundy, retires
BURIEN, Wash. - Burien's police chief recognized King County Sgt. Henry McLauchlan for his 46 years of service on Wednesday. Sergeant McLauchlan joined the sheriff's office in 1979 and spent 25 years working in Burien. King County Sheriff Patti Cole Tindall presented him with a certificate of retirement, along with a cake, thanking him for his service. McLauchlan says he was going to retire a few years ago, but got the opportunity to supervise the Crime Reduction Unit, teaming up with mental health professionals. "I told myself when I got to the point that it was difficult to get up in the morning, it's now time, and there is a piece of me that you go, 'I've got to be able to take care of my people,' so if something happens, you got to be able to support them. I can still do that, but I am not sure how long I'd be laid up in the hospital if I did," McLauchlan said. The ceremony was held in the same room where the Green River Task Force was set up. McLauchlan worked on the Gary Ridgway case, and was the first person to identify Ted Bundy while working security at the University of Puget Sound. He ran the license plate and got all of Bundy's information for investigators. McLauchlan now plans to turn off his phone and sleep, as getting up at 3:30 a.m. every day has been a little too much. Where migrant ICE raids, arrests are already happening: List Oldest running movie theater in WA closing, hoping to relocate Toto, Christopher Cross, Men at Work to rock WA State Fair What are the chances of a February snow storm in Seattle? Here's what we know Is it illegal to warm your car up unattended in WA? Here's what you need to know To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily Fox Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX Seattle FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
