News
AGM update: revisions to papers
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Tue, 08 Sep 2020 16:55
Following feedback from members, we have updated two of the documents relating to the Articles of Association and proposed revisions.
Changes have been made to the following papers for the AGM:
- Proposed new Articles of Association of British Dressage
- Comparison showing the proposed changes being made to the existing Articles of Association
Please follow the links at the bottom of this page to access the full documents.
As part of these proposed changes, the Board will have the ability to appoint up to five Extra Directors as independent non-executive directors to oversee some of the business aspects of British Dressage that do not require dressage-specific technical knowledge.
This includes the current positions of Finance Director and Business Development Director, but in future may also bring in additional expertise in key areas, if required, such as Legal, Human Resources or Information Technology. All positions will continue to be advertised, and members are of course still welcome to apply if they meet the relevant criteria for each role, but this will enable us to ensure that we have people with the right knowledge and experience to advise, guide and support the future development of British Dressage.
As the organisation continues to grow into a modern, professional National Governing Body it is vitally important that we continue to have high calibre individuals at Board level with the skill sets and competencies required to drive the business forwards. This is particularly relevant at the current time with the challenges we face in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, where strategic oversight and good governance will be critical.
The six sport-specific technical director portfolios and the Chair position will continue to be elected by the membership, by electronic vote. If the proposed Articles are approved, in future years this on-line vote will be binding and not subject to ratification at the AGM. This will ensure that these Board Director roles are elected by the full membership, rather than subject to the approval of a small group in attendance at the AGM.
From 2021, this will include the ability to vote on candidates who are standing unopposed, as well as those who are seeking re-election for a second term. The majority of Board positions will therefore still be elected by the BD membership. Under the proposed Articles, both elected and appointed directors will be eligible to stand for two terms of four years, up to a maximum of eight years in total.
The BD Board currently has eight Directors, including the Chair, elected by members, plus one Board appointed Extra Director (Suzanne Homewood, Business Development Director). The proposed changes would move the Finance Director position from elected to appointed status at the end of the first term of the current role-holder, Caroline Godfrey. All directorships will continue to be advertised, with applications scrutinised by the Nominations Committee before recommendations are put forward to the Board or wider membership.
The changes proposed are in accordance with the Code of Sport Governance promoted by UK Sport and Sport England, whereby they recommend that at least 25% of the Board is composed of independent non-executive Directors. This code allows for a maximum of 12 appointments to the Board, although it is not currently envisaged that the Board would have more than three Extra Directors (or INEDs) at any one time.
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