IFST gives notice that the Institute is seeking nominations the role of President Elect, who will guide the transition of our Institute to a new Presidency following the AGM in March 2025.
The successfully elected nominee will be appointed as President Elect in early 2025, and will become President of IFST immediately following the AGM in March 2025 when Sterling Crew (Hon FIFST) steps down from the role.
The time commitment for the role has a base requirement of approximately 10-12 days a year, with attendance of up to six Board meetings held across the year. Board of Trustee meetings are held in-person at our London Office whenever possible. Engagement with our membership and their events is a crucial part of this role, as well as that of President, and this can place greater commitment on the Presidential roles than other Trustees. Although the post is not remunerated, travel expenses are provided in accordance with the IFST Expenses Policy for any meetings that need to be attended physically. The President Elect needs to be prepared to lead the Board of Trustees in the detail of issues that emerge during the IFST business cycle, acting as a credible, authoritative advocate for the Institute. Prior experience as an IFST Trustee and/or of Branch or Group leadership for the IFST will be an advantage to the selection by the Nominations Committee for the ballot by our membership.
We want our Board of Trustees to be as inclusive as possible. Our Institute benefits in having membership from different backgrounds and experience levels, and we know that our strength is made by this range of opinions and expertise. Therefore, we encourage all our professional members with relevant experience to consider this opportunity. IFST’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement can be found here.
Details of the role:
Download nomination form:
The completed Nomination form should be returned with a maximum 200 word biography which can be provided as a brief Curriculum Vitae; and a maximum 300 word Covering Statement. The completed nomination form and related documents should be returned by the Nominee before 16:00 GMT on 18 November 2024 to Hayley Mahon, HR and Operations Manager:
- by email to h.mahon@ifst.org
or
- by post to Hayley Mahon, HR and Operations Manager, IFST, 5 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NJ
Please read the Guidance Notes below before making a nomination. Nominations require the signatures (which may be electronic) of two Members or Fellows, plus the nominee’s signature to indicate their consent, verify the information provided and confirm eligibility. Each nomination form is for the nomination of one person. The form may also be obtained in paper format from the IFST Office.
Please note that nominations and applications are confidential and will be reviewed by the IFST Nominations Committee only. Nominees will be reviewed and selected by the IFST Nominations Committee and confirmed by the Board of Trustees. Selected nominees will then be reviewed by the IFST Board of Trustees before the ballot by the membership. Trustees will be elected via a ballot of all professional members from December 2024 through to January 2025, if more nominations are received than each of the available roles. Ballot papers will be circulated to all voting members and the result of the ballot will be announced in early 2025, with the Presdient Elect taking the role of Presidnet immeditaley following the AGM, which will be held in March 2025.
Any applications not meeting the above requirements will be rejected by the Nominations Committee who will review them (IFST Regulation 31c). Any nominations received after the deadline above will not be considered by the Nominations Committee.
Guidance Notes
1. Only professional members (i.e. Fellows or Members, plus Honorary Fellows who were Fellows or Members at the time of their election as Honorary Fellows) in good standing may nominate, be nominated or vote.
2. In the event of a ballot, each candidate will be required to provide a biography (no more than 200 words) and a statement (no more than 300 words), plus photograph (optional), indicating their personal qualities relevant to the role and how these might benefit the IFST, together with any declared interests (see note 4 below). Candidates for President-Elect will be asked to submit a short video to support their candidacy, which will be made available to all voting members.
3. Data Protection. It is a condition of standing for election that candidates allow:
- relevant personal details (as provided on the nomination form and subsequent statement for ballot notice) to be published to members in connection with the elections and the outcome thereof;
- their name to be publicised as an Officer within IFST and externally, if successfully elected
- their name be publicised to members including on the IFST website
4. It is a Charity Commission requirement that members involved in IFST business should declare in advance any relevant, vested or potentially conflicting interests including disclosure of an interest in any contract or proposed contract with IFST.
5. Charity Commission restrictions apply on payment to Trustees (except reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses) for services to IFST.
6. IFST's constitutional documents may be downloaded from our website. These documents may also be obtained in paper format from the IFST Office.