Nev Power: Strike Energy, APM, Genesis Minerals play secret squirrel over COVID breacher’s boardroom fate

The mind-baffling insistence of three WA listed companies in retaining COVID-19 law breacher Nev Power as a director has reached extraordinary levels, with the trio actually getting together to talk strategy. That’s right. You’d think Strike Energy, APM Human Services International and Genesis Minerals have more than enough on their plates without convening a meeting to share arguments they could use publicly to retain Power’s services in the wake of his eight-month suspended jail sentence. But that’s what they’ve actually done. The Bull understands the hold-the-line meeting of company representatives held at least two weeks ago canvassed a unified approach to Power in the face of regular queries about his standing from The West Australian. Remember, while Power has left the boards of several not-for-profits, he remains on a leave of absence from all three listed companies. The former Fortescue Metals Group chief was charged in October with breaching WA’s pandemic laws by returning to the State from Queensland in a helicopter without completing G2G forms and failing to quarantine for 14 days He pleaded guilty in February and received the suspended prison sentence last month. You’d reckon that from a governance perspective, the gigs at Strike, APM and Genesis are done. Yeah, we know he’s a good bloke, but surely your directors should be whiter than white and set the example for the worker bees. It’s an old-fashioned concept, we know. But for whatever reason, the companies reckon they and Power can wait out the controversy. Good luck with that. Read more from the Bull in Herd on the Terrace inside the business pages of Saturday’s The West Australian, or check out more gossip from WA’s business community here.