British Judo – Altered amount & £380,000 Remuneration paid to the Chair and a secret “Executive Team”

Updated in connection with the BJA AGM 2022!

April 14, 2023

Before reading about the mysterious millions of pounds paid as remuneration by the BJA since the BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez, became the Chair in 2017.  Maybe you should familiarise yourself with his previous documented handling of public funding?

Payment to BJA Directors is not based upon whether elected or not.    

A BJA Director is defined by the BJA Limited company registered directors:

UK Government House, company information:

BRITISH JUDO ASSOCIATION(THE) 
Company number 01393958

The current BJA Memorandum and articles are subject to change at this year’s BJA AGM, 12th November 2022.  

Where the BJA clubs are NOT allowed to vote on the 18 amendments individually but have to vote for or against them all in one vote.

 

The BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez:

 Should you wish to discuss judo issues without fear of being bullied, censored or “disappeared” and blocked from the group with no warning or reason?

You can join the GBJC faceBook group that has transparent governance!

Click to join!  

Should you wish to direct any questions to BJA Directors in this and any other matter?

BJA Board of directors and contact information – click. 

April 14, 2023

In the BJA’s annual report (AGM, 12 November 2022) sent to some in British Judo but not made public, you will find the BJA’s accounts for the financial year,
April 1 2021 – March 31 2022.  

In previous years, remuneration payments were paid to BJA Directors and the BJA SLT*  (Senior Leadership Team).  

In this year’s BJA Annual Report, those receiving the £380,246 remuneration payments are: 

The BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez, and “……..the members of the executive team.”

This “BJA executive team” is a new creation and the members of the team are unknown!

In an unusual procedure, the annual accounts this year has altered the remuneration amount payments, without clarification, for the previous financial year, 2020-2021.  

BJA Financial accounts 2020-2021:  

£455,370 

In this year’s BJA Financial accounts 2021-2022, the same remuneration payments have been altered to: 

£320,246 ?

FACT CHECK what was in the accounts that were approved at the AGM in 2021?

– Remuneration payment  section from the 2020-2021 BJA Annual accounts  – click

If you are entitled to vote at the BJA AGM and if you have received the BJA AGM ballot sheets and documents?

Sent by post during the postal strikes!

Time is running out to submit your postal votes!   
 

At this years BJA AGM, the mysterious demand that those voting have to approve ALL the 18 amendments that range from changing “Chairman” to “Chair”.  
To extending the current BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez’s term in office from 8 to 12 years, and a BJA director at the end of term, can become the BJA Chair, for 12 years. 


Without BJA members, clubs and coaches having any vote or say on this. 
As happened last year when Ronnie Saez was re-elected for another 4 years, June 2021.

If you didn’t know?  It is because the BJA hasn’t communicated this with it’s members and nobody in the BJA council asked about it!  

Ronnie Saez wa elected “unanimously” by the BJA directors present, including a person that was no longer a BJA director.  After this was exposed on the GBJC website, the BJA Board altered the BJA June 2021 Board meetings minutes document, at a BJA Board meeting 6 months later, December 2021! 
Claiming the person hadn’t been present at all!       

And at the same time, “disappeared” content on the BJA website’s “About Us” page.

If you want to comment on FaceBook about this?  

Your comment might “disappear” and be replaced with comments Ronnie approves of?

The latest twist in “BJA Remuneration Gate” is that BJA Director, Claire Lish, that initially drew attention to remuneration by stating there was none. 

On the ABP (Applied Business Psychology) website it states she is a member of the BJA remuneration committee [commission] which makes it very doubtful she had no knowledge of the over £2 million pounds  paid as remuneration since she joined the BJA!

Remuneration

When a BJA Director interacts and comments on social media, in the capacity as a BJA Director, you would expect the person to uphold the BJA’s values?

RESPECT – UNITY – EXCELLENCE – TRUST – INTEGRITY
“BJA Our Values”

So, when a BJA Director stated in
GB Judo Underground (a FaceBook group), 2021:

“There is no remuneration.”

 

The majority of BJA members, coaches, officials, parents and people involved with judo in Britain, probably took it at face value and believed the BJA Director’s statement?  

However……………

From the public records of BJA financial accounts, since Claire Lish became a BJA Director in 2017.

The BJA has paid out over £1,7 million pounds to BJA Directors and members of the BJA SLT (Senior Leadership Team), in the period 2017-2021.

Most recently, the BJA paid its Directors and SLT a total of £455,370 paid in remuneration, 2020-2021. 

During the height of Covid-19 having an impact of British Judo, 1st April 2020 – 31st March 2021. 

Changes from the previous financial year:
  • BJA membership DOWN, England, 60% (30,944 to 12,406)
  • BJA membership income DOWN 46.12% (£673439 to £262,843)
  • The 2020-2021 BJA annual turnover was DOWN 32,1% (£5,3 million to £3,6million)
In fact, the worst period for British Judo in living memory!
 ………………….. except?
Remuneration payments to BJA Directors & the Senior BJA leaders went 
UP by 6,1% on the previous year to a total of £455,370.
1/8 of the annual BJA budget.
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July 10 2022

As a Chartered Accountant,  BJA Director Neil Fletcher  would be the ideal person to ask questions about remuneration payments.  Both legalities (UK legislation 2019) and the governance requirements defined by UKSport and Sport England!    

To contact BJA Directors:

If you wish to make contact with any of our Board Members, please contact Justine Lynch (Executive Assistant) at justine.lynch@britishjudo.org.uk

Coming up!

The “BJA Values” defined.

Facts & Figures.

Join in judo discussions where you don’t have to worry if your opinion will give you more hassle in your life than you already have.

❤️ judo – hate the politics!

#BeTheChange2022

#StrongerTogether 

Join the GBJC FaceBook group – click

 

BJA Our Values

R

e

S

P

E

C

T

“Respect is having due regards for the competence, feelings, views and rights of ourselves and others.
It extends to the treatment of all people with whom we come into contact with.”

U

N

I

T

Y

“Unity gives us a sense of belonging, creating the belief that with the support of our colleagues, we can overcome adversity and achieve great things.” 

 

e

x

c

e

l

l

e

n

c

e

“Excellence is the standard that we constantly strive to achieve.
It ensures that a job is well done, no matter how difficult the circumstances.” 

t

r

u

s

t

“Trust is the belief and confidence in the reliability of each other.
It quantifies and defines our relationships with others.” 

i

n

t

e

g

r

i

t

y

“Excellence is the standard that we constantly strive to achieve.
It ensures that a job is well done, no matter how difficult the circumstances.” 

BJA - The REMUNERATION APPROVAL PROCESS

How Remuneration payments are approved.

 

In effect:

A remuneration committee approves all payments.

It consists of:

The BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez, a BJA Director,
The BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular, a member of the BJA SLT,
Plus two Independent
[BJA] Directors, members of the BJA Board of Directors,

They meet twice a year and approve all remuneration payments to BJA Directors and BJA SLT members.

No details are available as to whom attended these meetings and approved payments to individuals and for what the payments covered.

See UK GOV:

The Companies (Directors’ Remuneration Policy and Directors’ Remuneration Report) Regulations 2019 – Frequently Asked Questions

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Remuneration Summery & Definitions

What is REMUNERATION?

Since the BJA doesn’t clarify what they are paying remuneration for, specifically to whom nor in what form? 
Those interested in the recent changes that the BJA financial reporting seems to not be abiding by? 

UK GOV FAQ – click

What is directors remuneration UK?

Directors’ remuneration refers to how directors of a company are compensated by a company for their services usually fees, salary, use of company property or other benefits.
 

So, it isn’t expenses!

Remuneration can be in the form of pension contributions?
That might sound alarm bells with those that have knowledge of how the BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez, has previously dealt with public funding before becoming the BJA Chair?

BBC:

Pay-off for charity boss Ronnie Saez branded ‘misconduct’  

The Herald Scotland:

The poverty campaigner who walked away with £500k of poor kids’ cash

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Facts not Fiction!
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Join in judo discussions where you don’t have to worry if your opinion will give you more hassle in your life than you already have.

No bullying!

No “Disappearing”: Comments – Discussions – Members!

❤️ judo – hate the politics!

#BeTheChange2022

#StrongerTogether 

Join the GBJC FaceBook group – click

 

Information about the 2021 AGM and the approval of the BJA accounts containing remuneration payments? 

Who attended? 

Which BJA clubs voted to approve the Annual Report and the Financial Accounts, 2020-2021?

What was the vote count in the election of new BJA Directors?

What were the vote counts for the BJA President position?

Was there any vote on re-electing the BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez?

Click to go the the BJA Website AGM post, 2 November 2021 with the AGM 2021 paperwork, Pre-AGM:

If you have any question about the AGM, please contact justine.lynch@britishjudo.org.uk

 

BJA “Our Values”

Respect – Unity – Excellence – Trust – Integrity

 
You can read more about this in the BJA Strategic plan 2017-2021 – click