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igem news

GOVERNANCE REVIEW

IGEM’S NEW GOVERNANCE business matters to compliance duties
to strategy. And we had identified that
there was an advantage to having a
ARRANGEMENTS structure that would help add agility
to decision-making and influence of
strategic direction, whilst freeing up
Council discussions.”
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW extensive external benchmarking,
The central outcome, informed by
is to establish an Executive Board.
Its primary roles will be to act as a
steering committee to Council to aid its
efficiency and streamlining its business;
to assist with the development of
forward strategy; to have responsibility
for monitoring the overall performance
of IGEM and to provide a mechanism
for HR and reward.
Council has also actioned a number
of additional recommendations.
These include enhanced definitions
for the remits of the Audit and Risk
Committee (with greater emphasis on
risk oversight) and Finance Committee
(to include contract management
oversight), as well as abandonment
of the Marketing Committee and the
IGEM CEO Neil Atkinson reviews a number of new Strategic Planning Board.
governance arrangements designed to make the Tony Green added: “I am really
institution more agile in fast-moving world excited to see all this hard work come to
fruition. Executed well, Council will not
just be able to perform with excellence
IGEM HAS ANNOUNCED a number of integrity, decision making, risk and its primary collective accountability for
strengthened governance arrangements control, board effectiveness, diversity, governance, but will now have a greater
that come into effect from June 2019. openness and accountability. In the focus on delivering what matters for the
A review of the institution’s future, sufficient scrutiny of IGEM’s institution and its members.”
governance was proposed last June operations by our Trustees will be In the new model, Council will be
following discussions with members essential, as will sufficient transparency debating developments on which
across a range of IGEM constituencies of the organisation to members. IGEM must have impact, such as
which suggested there was: Council embraced the review, which decarbonised heat and smart energy
a desire for decision making practices sought to report clear recommendations futures, and will have a greater focus
to be simpler and easier for enhancement of IGEM governance on member activities at Section
a need to create a fitter structure in structures and processes in line with and national level. It will also have
readiness for future challenges good practice, as well as garnering a stronger focus on initiatives and
a wish to be informed by an support to the recommendations services that can positively drive
understanding of what practice might from the general membership. Under individual and Industrial Affiliate
be in similar organisations the leadership of incoming President memberships. Interestingly, the
Professional Engineering Institutions Antony Green, a working group was put Executive Board, while taking on
must be able to demonstrate that they together to lead the effort with expertise its core remit, will seek to have
take good governance seriously and allow from influential members including two meetings per annum at a key
governance processes to evolve and Gordon Davies, Martin Alderson, Chris stakeholder organisation, with the
improve the way they operate so that their Bielby and Paul Denniff. agenda centred on senior level
public benefit obligations are realised. From the start, Antony was clear that discussions with that stakeholder.
Good governance is not an optional extra the review had to deliver outcomes that We want IGEM to be ever more
for IGEM. Indeed, it is essential to the would provide real benefits. He said: influential and engaging at this time
organisation’s effectiveness and even “We identified a number of current of technological change – and that
possibly to its survival. problems. Council meetings were not requires us getting ever closer to
The Charities Commission published always allowing for full and effective our stakeholders.
an updated Charity Governance Code in discussion of key matters, such as
2017. IGEM’s Trustees are fully aware development of the membership, For more information, IGEM has
of the code, which outlines the key agendas were too crowded and covered produced a short downloadable webinar
governance principles of leadership, everything from the institution’s available at www.igem.org.uk

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