MYOB shareholders get to mind a bit of their own business when the hullabaloo subsides

CLEARLY some staff training is in order over at Ron Brierley's Guinness Peat Group. And might we suggest How To Conduct Oneself at Meetings: 101 would be a good place to start.

Gary Weiss, the company's seasoned executive director, nearly made a right royal cock-up of the voting at the annual get-together of MYOB shareholders yesterday. A vocal critic of the company's plan to issue options to its chief executive Craig Winkler, Weiss spent about 10 minutes telling fellow shareholders why they should join him in voting down the resolution.

Following a poll, the scrutineers went out back to count the votes, while Winkler fielded a few questions from investors.

But it was hard not to be distracted by the hullabaloo that soon erupted around Weiss. Tipped off that Guinness Peat's voting form had been filled out incorrectly, MYOB's lawyers quickly dashed over to the second-biggest shareholder. Some frantic whispering took place, followed by a few nervous giggles and Weiss was permitted to amend his vote - which was lucky given it was a close one. Winkler was not so lucky, however, with 51.2 per cent of the fleet voting against his package.

But that wasn't Weiss's only slip. Earlier in the meeting, MYOB chairman Simon McKeon had a moment of mild panic when he realised that his notes for the meeting had gone missing. Weiss kindly checked his own bulging pile of paperwork and found he had accidentally swiped them when he'd taken to the podium.