The effect of the disqualification order on companies in the BlueInc group
42 The second consequence of the disqualification order suggested by Mr Howden in his affidavit evidence concerns the effect upon the BlueInc group of companies. Mr Howden asserts that his disqualification would "significantly disrupt the operations and growth" of that group. Mr Howden's evidence in support of that assertion is that:
(1) he has always been integral to the BlueInc group of companies' operations in Australia and New Zealand;
(2) the BlueInc group of companies is a family-owned business, and he founded each of those companies. Without his expertise and his family's capital, the BlueInc group of companies would not have been created and would not have grown;
(3) given the length of his experience managing financial services companies, and the breadth and depth of his experience in the BlueInc group of companies, it would be very difficult to identify a person in the short or medium term who could replace him without any loss of expertise;
(4) given the negative findings in the Liability and Penalty Judgments, as well as the negative publicity experienced by the BlueInc group of companies in connection with the first instance proceeding and the underlying events, it will be virtually impossible to find a suitable replacement who is willing to take the role;
(5) in his view, Ms Howden has the ability to manage the BlueInc group of companies competently and will do so diligently, however she has limited experience managing financial services companies, limited experience in the insurance industry and limited experience with the operations of the BlueInc group of companies;
(6) if the BlueInc group of companies were to be deprived of his experience and expertise, (especially given that his experience and expertise will be virtually impossible to replace in the short to medium term), that fact will almost certainly have a negative effect on their profitability and growth;
(7) compounding this issue is the fact that BGPL may not be willing to continue to inject capital into BlueSoft and Momentum Life if those companies are not being managed by a person with his experience and expertise. If Mr Howden is no longer a director of BGPL, he will not have any input into such a decision. If this were to occur, it would jeopardise Momentum Life's profitability and growth, and potentially even its viability; and
(8) if the BlueInc group of companies become less profitable or viable, the livelihoods of some or all of its employees may be jeopardised.
43 The submissions made on behalf of Mr Howden highlighted these aspects of Mr Howden's evidence.
44 I do not consider the potential effect of the disqualification order upon the companies in the BlueInc group to be of particular moment in the exercise of the discretion, for the following reasons.
45 First, the evidence as to Mr Howden's suggested indispensability and irreplaceability is insufficient. In particular, the evidence comes only from Mr Howden (and not from Ms Howden; anyone else within the BlueInc group; or any person with expertise in the recruitment of executives in his field of experience) and is cast at a very general level. There is also no evidence of any attempts having been made to find a replacement or of the responses (or lack of responses) to any such attempts.
46 Secondly, the suggested impact of Mr Howden's absence upon the profitability of the BlueInc group and the suggested possibility that BGPL (with Ms Howden as director) may not fund BlueSoft and Momentum Life and that in turn the livelihoods of employees of the latter two companies may be jeopardised is mere speculation upon speculation. This is particularly so absent evidence from Ms Howden; and absent any evidence that BlueSoft and Momentum Life require or are likely to require funding.
47 Thirdly, Select and BlueInc Services are in external administration.
48 Fourthly, there is no evidence that BGPL conducts a financial services business.
49 Fifthly, there is no evidence that Mr Howden's management of BGPL's cash investments (see [6] above) requires particular expertise that only Mr Howden possesses; or that such management cannot be carried out by Ms Howden, the employed accountant, or someone else.
50 Sixthly, on Mr Howden's own evidence, Ms Howden is able, competent and diligent. Further, BlueSoft has an established Chief Executive Officer.
51 Seventhly, there is a tension in Mr Howden's evidence concerning BlueSoft, as to whether he is involved in the running of its business (see [11] above). I note that an organisational chart for BlueSoft as at 19 July 2023 exhibited to Mr Howden's most recent affidavit does not include Mr Howden. In any event, no explanation has been provided as to why the activities described in the final sentence of [11] above cannot be performed by someone other than Mr Howden. In this regard, I note that BlueSoft Services is not a financial services company.
52 Finally, I consider the fact that the disqualification order would prevent Mr Howden from managing the self-managed superannuation fund, of which Howden Superannuation is the trustee to be a matter of little moment, particularly when Mrs Howden is, and has since 2010 been, a director of Howden Superannuation; it is not suggested that she is incompetent or reliant upon any particular skills possessed by Mr Howden; and it is open to Mr Howden to apply to ASIC under s 206G of the Corporations Act for leave to manage Howden Superannuation.