News from the Board: a summary of our April meeting

At the Board meeting on 26 April the following items were on the agenda:

Recruitment to the Chief Executive role

The Board had commissioned an independent review of the Chief Executive’s role, and the report was presented and discussed. We now have proposals as to how best to take this forward and I will update you in the coming weeks.

Charitable status

One of the motions from last year’s AGM was for CIEH to commission an independent review of its charitable status. That has now been undertaken; it analyses the impact of charitable status on the organisation and the benefits of it. We have since met with the proposers of the original motion to discuss the findings. The report will be made available to members and the reviewer will present the findings at the AGM. The conclusion is that there are considerable benefits for the CIEH operating as a charitable body and that it should retain its registration. Members will be able to vote at the AGM on whether the organisation should be a registered charity, in line with the motion.

Reappointment to governance roles

The Board approved the reappointment of Mark Elliott to the President’s role, this is required to be carried out each year of the maximum three-year term. Thank you Mark for your commitment to the role. We also approved the reappointment of Rob Easton to MLPAG for a further three years. Thank you Rob for your continued support and commitment to this group.

Pandemic loan repayment

We discussed repayment of a loan which CIEH took out during the pandemic, due to the fall in income over this period. Repayment arrangements have now been agreed from now until the final repayment date in 2025.

2023 AGM motion

An update was provided on the Ian Gray and Chris Day motion supported at the last AGM (the Day/Gray motion). The Board supported the motion at the AGM, recognising and agreeing the important areas of work needed. Whilst there has been progress made in some areas, others are currently planned to be delivered over a longer time period. The proposed timescales for delivery of all sections of the motion were shared with the proposer and seconder and the Board considered their response. They are concerned about the proposed approach and timings of some of the CIEH proposals. The Trustees agreed that they would like to continue to try and resolve these issues and have suggested a facilitated session which would include a wider group to review the motions and the proposals to deliver.

Executive management team (EMT) update

The EMT presented a detailed update on its work carried out since the last Board meeting. EMT members reported against the Board’s priorities. Whilst significant progress is being made in some areas with much to be positive about there are others that are impacted by the competing demands on resources and new significant priorities have been identified. The Board will be working with the EMT to ensure that CIEH’s limited resources are directed towards the highest priority work.

2024 AGM

The Board approved the AGM structure and the format. A considerable amount of work goes into preparation for the AGM. The annual audit of the accounts is almost complete. We also discussed the voting process at the AGM following a request from members to review. The Board agreed that all voting should take place at the AGM meeting. If members are unable to attend the AGM they will be able to allocate a proxy who will be able to vote for them at the meeting. The main difference is that proxies will no longer be able to cast their vote before the meeting. The AGM is an opportunity for members to engage in CIEH matters and it would be wonderful for as many members as possible to join the meeting. Notice of the meeting along with the agenda, related papers and voting instructions will be sent out soon.

Redaction policy

We discussed the Redaction policy for Board meetings and will be reviewing how it is being applied to previous minutes to ensure they are in line with the current policy.

Working group meetings

I have attended the first two meeting of the Property Working Group which is scheduled to meet on a monthly basis. I also chaired the sub group meeting which was set up by the Board to progress the Motion presented by Chris Day and Ian Gray.

Volunteer register

Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to be looking at how we can utilise our membership’s skills and expertise to support the work of CIEH. This is exciting work and we hope to provide more information at the AGM.

Trustee elections and changes to the Board

You will be aware that we have just gone through a round of trustee elections. I’m so pleased that Nick Chapman and Lindsay Shaw were re-elected as trustees. I’d also like to congratulate James Johnson, Safia Khokhar, Kevin Shawcross and Sterling Crew on their election to the Board and warmly welcome them. I shall be attending their induction session next week ahead of our next Board meeting on 16 May.

You may also be aware that Kathryn Preece resigned from the Board with effect from 30 April. I’d like to thank Kathryn for her time, support and the invaluable contribution she has given the Board over what has been a significant period of change of change at CIEH. I know that her decision to resign was not made lightly, the role of trustee is quite demanding on time, and we will miss her wise and measured contribution to the Board.

Our next scheduled full Board meeting is on 16 May.

As always, you can get in touch with myself by emailing [email protected].