Council and committee elections 2024
Nomination process for Council and committee positions
Nominees should:
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Indicate the position for which they are standing - candidates are only able to stand for one position.
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Provide their Fellowship number.
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Provide a maximum 150 word summary note that will accompany the ballot papers: 75 words to be given over to biographical details, and up to a further 75 words can be used to demonstrate how you meet the skills and expertise the Council feels would be most helpful for that position. If the word length exceeds this, only the first 150 words will be included. One link to a website may be added if desired.
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Include the names of five proposing Fellows.
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Download, complete and submit the Trustee eligibility form (only needed for Council elections).
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Download, complete and submit the Conflicts of interest form.
Proposing Fellows should send separately the following information to the Director:
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Their own Fellowship number.
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The name of the Fellow they are nominating and for which position on the Council.
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A brief summary of why the candidate is considered suitable by them, for the chosen position, including how they meet the skills and expertise gaps most helpful to fill.
Proposers may only support one candidate for any single position.
All nominations should be sent to the Director, preferably via email: director@rgs.org
The deadline is 5.00pm on 21 March 2024. Please contact the Director's Office with any queries.
Guidance for Council elections
Positions on Council are nominated and elected by the Fellowship and bring with them the responsibilities of a Trustee of the Society. Elections take place every June at the Society’s Annual General Meeting.
It is normally expected that Council members will also serve on (and chair in the case of Vice-Presidents) the Committee of Council relevant to the position to which they have been elected. Only Fellows of the Society may stand for positions on Council and only Fellows may propose candidates for election (this includes Associate Fellows).
If you wish to stand for election to Council, you should be able to demonstrate:
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a good working knowledge of the Society
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an understanding and support for its breadth of activities and audiences
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experience and seniority relevant to the position that you are standing for
Each position also requires a sound working knowledge, as appropriate, of geographical education, expeditions and fieldwork, research and higher education, geography in professional practice. In addition, Council has provided guidance to nominees and proposers on the skills, expertise and experience that it feels would be most helpful at the present time. It is not a requirement that nominees fill identified skills gaps but it is highly desirable. There is separate guidance for those wishing to make a nomination for President.
In terms of time commitment, Council members must be available to read papers for, and attend, four Council meetings per year and at least two Committee meetings per year. If you wish to stand for a Research and Higher Education position, you must also currently hold a related post in a further or higher education institution, or be a person of similar standing.
Positions on Council to be elected in June 2024
Nominations are invited from Fellows for the following positions to be elected in June 2024.
Education - Vice President
Membership - Councillor
Professional Practice - Councillor
All positions are for four years unless stated otherwise.
Guidance for committee elections
If you wish to stand for election to a committee of Council, you should be able to demonstrate:
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a good working knowledge of the Society
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an understanding and support for its breadth of activities and audiences
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experience and seniority relevant to the position that you are standing for
Each position also requires a sound working knowledge, as appropriate, of geographical education, expeditions and fieldwork, research and higher education or professional practice.
You can find out more about each of the committees of Council and the commitment required of committee members here.
Positions on committees to be elected in June 2024
Nominations are invited from Fellows for the following positions to be elected in June 2024.
Research and Higher Education Committee - Chair of the Annual Conference 2025 (to serve on the committee June 2024 - June 2026; a two year term)
Research and Higher Education Committee - Member (to serve on the committee June 2024 - June 2027; a three year term)
President search
The current President’s three-year term of office comes to an end in June 2024. Consistent with historical practice, the Council has established a President Search Committee of senior trustees who are leading the search for the next President.
Following the governance changes agreed at the SGM in 2022, the next President with serve a four-year term.
The Search Committee invites all Fellows and Members to suggest names of any Fellows they feel would be worth considering to succeed Nigel Clifford. Following their search, the Committee will recommend potential candidates to Council. Council will then decide who they wish to nominate for election at the AGM in June.
While it is strongly encouraged that all suggestions are put through the President Search Committee process, it is possible for Fellows to be nominated independently to stand for election as President.
The President Search Criteria below set out the skills and experiences that Council feels will be needed in the next President.
Deadline
All names for consideration by the President Search Committee should be sent to director@rgs.org by 5.00pm on Monday 5 February.
President Search Committee
The President Search Committee will be supported by the Director’s Executive Assistant and comprises the Honorary Treasurer (David Scott) and the Vice Presidents (or nominated Council member) for each area of the Society’s work: Education (Dr Emma Rawlings-Smith, Honorary Secretary), Research and Higher Education (Professor Jamie Woodward, Chair), Expeditions and Fieldwork (Steve Jones), Professional Practice (Ash Parry Jones), and Membership (Matt Pycroft).
President Search Criteria
The Society faces a range of challenges which will require a particular skill set, and an unwavering positivity about the role of geography and the Society as a whole. The Society has a chance to position itself effectively across the various sectors it serves, as indicated in our strategy.
The 2023 Strategy Review surfaced a body of very consistent themes that are relevant to this search:
- Build the membership with a broad definition of geography
- Optimise the charitable and commercial value of the Collections
- Build fundraising and other commercial revenue capacity
- ‘Look after the building and it will look after the Society’
- Seize opportunities for impact and growth around geospatial and sustainability agendas
- Sustain and build relationships with Corporate Benefactors and partners
- Expand the reach and impact of the Society’s support of geographical study and practice
- Drive strategic impact and financial efficiency through stronger partnerships
Given that the Society, like all organisations, faces a period of substantial uncertainty, and therefore change, the Society needs to be able to retain the confidence of all those who relate to it.
A confidence in the public eye; adaptable and supportive to the Society’s needs; and an appreciation of the breadth of the Society’s constituencies with no particularly strong sectoral agenda will be important Presidential qualities in this period of national and international change.
The Society is a charity. The President is Chair of the Trustees and responsible to the Charity Commission for working within their guidelines.
This is an exciting opportunity for a high-profile individual, and the new President will play a key role leading the Society’s progress.
Skills and experience
We encourage applications from high-profile individuals who can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role. Desirable qualities and experiences include:
STRATEGY AND PUBLIC POLICY
- A commitment to geography and cognate disciplines and the breadth of the Society’s work within and beyond geography, especially in meeting its charitable objective to advance geographical science.
- Engagement with the Society’s strategic plan and the ability to communicate its four pillars: Enable, Amplify, Engage, and Sustain, to the full range of the Society’s constituents and beyond.
- Willingness to instigate and nurture partnerships to further the Society’s strategic objectives.
- The skills and willingness to represent the Society in public and policy engagement.
- Alignment with the charitable mission and core values of the Society: working for a more equal, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable society.
PEOPLE
- The enthusiasm and ability to communicate the value of the Society to all possible sectors of the membership, including potential new Members and Fellows.
- Approachability and willingness to engage constructively and openly with the Society’s staff, especially the Director and Senior Team.
- Ensure appropriate performance management and support processes for the Director.
- Willingness and ability to chair Council meetings and the AGM.
- Willingness to chair Monday night lectures.
- Broad appeal to a wide cross section of the Society’s constituencies and the ability, confidence, and desire to engage effectively with them.
LEADERSHIP
- A high degree of respect based on professionalism within a geographical or closely allied field.
- Leadership skills and attitudes which can inspire and engage all elements of the Society, particularly in relation to the leadership of the trustees, innovation and business sustainability.
- Acumen and connections across the range of professional and policy communities that will be important in the future development of the Society.
- Stature in the public eye and the ability to be an influential figurehead.