Improvong Director Privacy and Personal Safety

Institute of Directors Welcomes Moves to Improve Director Privacy and Personal Safety

The Institute of Directors (IoD) welcomes the release of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Discussion Document on Directors’ Residential Addresses on the Companies Register.

The IoD has been actively advocating since 2016 for greater protection for directors’ home addresses. Directors’ home addresses can currently be accessed online through the Companies Register. The availability of this information can contribute to inappropriate behaviour that puts directors’ personal safety at risk.

The IoD believes that it is possible to balance the need for transparency and accountability with safety, ensuring that directors can be contacted in a professional capacity while protecting their privacy.

“The issue of director privacy is one that concerns our members, who want to ensure that home remains a sanctuary for their family and work issues are resolved at work,” says IoD CEO Kirsten Patterson.

The 2017 IoD Director Sentiment Survey found that 79% of members would prefer to publish a service address rather than a residential address on the Companies Register. At the time a Stuff poll found that 67% of the public supported directors’ home addresses being made private.

“We welcome the Government’s moves to address this issue, as we believe there are viable alternatives that preserve safety at the same time as ensuring accountability.”

The discussion paper suggests two possible alternatives for protecting director privacy, a service address and a Director Identifier Number (DIN). The IoD is supportive of both solutions, and has previously made submissions supporting them.

Submissions on the Discussion Paper close on Friday, 3 August 2018.

Read the Cabinet Discussion Paper on Directors’ Residential Addresses on the Companies Register here.

Read the IoD’s previous submissions here and here.

ENDS

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