Jewellers Association leaders exempt from term limits
The change was announced after the March annual general meeting, but the amendment expressly excludes current office-holders Joshua Sharp and Ronnie Bauer because it is not retrospective.
Ten-year rule and its immediate effect
Sharp joined the JAA board in February 2021 and became president in October 2022. Bauer was appointed vice-president at the same time, returning for a second stint after first serving on the board from 2011. Both have already served close to four years in their respective roles.
Under the revised constitution, the four-year limit would apply to future officeholders, but the amendment does not apply retrospectively to Sharp and Bauer. An unsigned email from the “JAA Board” dated 1 October, however, clarified that the amendment “does not apply retrospectively, and neither Joshua Sharp nor Ronnie Bauer is required to step down in October 2026.” This interpretation means neither Sharp nor Bauer is required to step down in October 2026.
The board’s clarification arrived six months after the amendment was first publicised. The initial website announcement did not indicate that the new limit would be non-retrospective, a detail that could be material for members who had already seen Sharp and Bauer approach the four-year threshold.
Board’s communication and oversight
Members were first told of the amendment on 7 April, with the statement that “Members approved a constitutional amendment relating to Board leadership tenure.” No further explanation was given about the exemption for current leaders, and the JAA did not clarify the non-retrospective nature of the amendment when Jeweller magazine queried the change on 24 April.
Two independent co-opted directors, Lindsay Kotzman and Anna Hakman, were appointed to oversee governance and transparency. Their roles become ambiguous when the rule they are meant to enforce does not apply to the very officials whose tenures it targets.
In practice, the exemption creates a perception problem. Governance reform is considerably less convincing when the people who introduced, or currently benefit from, an arrangement are not subject to the new limitation.
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The board’s handling of the amendment reflects broader communication lapses. Earlier in the year, the JAA claimed it had recorded losses in only two of the preceding ten years, a figure later corrected to four loss-making years and cumulative losses exceeding $190,000.
Jeweller’s latest inquiry received a brief response stating the earlier premise was “incorrect,” but offered no rationale for the non-retrospective interpretation or details on how the four-year “clock” should be calculated.
The association’s membership income and total revenue have also continued to decline, highlighting the need for urgent reform and greater transparency.
Governance Controversies and Disclosure Inconsistencies
During his tenure, the president has issued public retractions and apologies, and a former co-opted director was later found to serve as company secretary for one of his businesses. The board’s composition marks the first instance of two independent co-opted directors on a six-member panel, a configuration described as unusual given their claimed governance expertise. Their appointment followed a director’s resignation in February that cited cultural and governance concerns, and similar disputes over co-opted directors have occurred before. The presence of two such directors has been noted as a departure from prior practice.
Professional director Meredith Doig, who left the board in April 2025, did not disclose her business relationship with Vice President Ronnie Bauer when she joined in 2022. Since Kotzman and Hakman joined, the board has faced repeated issues with financial disclosure, accountability and transparency. Kotzman’s announcement listed his employer, P B Lawyers, while Hakman’s notice omitted her appointment date and employer, later identified as Monash University. Jeweller reported a $21,209 loss in the 2024 accounts and a sharp drop in membership revenue; the board attributed the figure to an accounting adjustment, but members remain unclear about the underlying errors.
The comment highlighted ongoing concerns about communication standards surrounding the independent directors’ appointments.
