David Darmanin

Marsa Open Centre general manager Terry Gosden, 52, resigned abruptly two weeks ago, leaving in his wake a number of unanswered questions as to why he would “just tender his resignation and leave”, without working the customary notice period required to hand over pending work to successors.
But this newspaper has since learnt that Fondazzjoni Suret il-Bniedem, the organisation subcontracted by government to run the centre, had already chosen Gosden’s successor long before he decided to call it a day.
Oliver Gatt, the new general manager at Suret il-Bniedem, entered the scene while Gosden was still in charge, a job he had been tasked with since the inception of the centre.
Contacted by MaltaToday, a hesitant Capuchin Friars Provincial and a member on the board of governors at Suret il-Bniedem, Fr Joe Alessandro said: “Terry (Gosden) gave in his resignation out of his own will, and the board of governors accepted it. I do not have more details on this as I was abroad while this was happening.”
Asked why the foundation had not sent a public notification to inform of a change in the centre’s management, Gatt said: “We did so today, you should be receiving it in the post in the coming days. The letter says that in Terry (Gosden)’s stead I am now in charge along with my assistant Ahmed Bugre’.”
While specifying that “he decided to resign for personal reasons”, Gatt failed to elaborate on the exact reasons why Gosden decided to throw in the towel. But when asked to confirm whether his own appointment as general manager, along with Gosden, who was also general manager, may have effectively created clashes between the two, Gatt said: “We had no clashes, I can assure you. I was not involved in accepting or denying his resignation. This was a board decision. But at the end of the day, that there may be divergences and clashes of opinion on management style is normal. But there were no personal clashes at all. Terry and I enjoy a good relationship and communicate regularly, even after his resignation.
“Ultimately,” he added, “Terry was my subordinate. The board issues its policies and I must abide by them.”
When contacted, Gosden himself would not comment on his resignation.
Prior to this last appointment, Gosden, a social worker by profession, worked as a co-ordinator at Dar Leopoldo and eventually moved on to spearhead the setting up and eventual day-to-day running of Dar Tereza Spinelli and Dar Victoria.

ddarmanin@mediatoday.com.mt