New Congress for IChemE

IChemE has published a new Royal Charter and By-laws, and approved the establishment of a Congress.

The Congress will be an advisory board of IChemE members that will serve as the link between the Board of Trustees and members. The Congress will be elected to broadly reflect IChemE’s membership, with up to 15 seats allocated to a “functional” college, depending on where a member is in their career, and 25 seats allocated to a “regional” college, depending on a member’s country of residence.

The Congress will discuss matters of interest to the wider membership, offer a member view to inform the trustees’ decision making, and provide input to ongoing governance arrangements.

The Board of Trustees approved the Congress on 12 July and also approved the regulations determining how Congress will operate. The regulations were developed following feedback from IChemE members on the forum Interface.

A call for nominations for the first election will take place in September 2018, with the first session of the newly-elected Congress taking place at the end of October 2018. The first Congress will review the draft Regulations, role specifications, and operational arrangements. Any changes proposed must be supported by a two-thirds majority of the Congress before submission to the Board for consideration.

A handbook, Your Congress, will soon be made available to members, and a series of webinars allowing members to ask questions will follow.

IChemE president Ken Rivers said:

“We received Privy Council approval for the changes to the Royal Charter and By-laws following our AGM in May. 92% of participating members supported the changes. I’m delighted that we are already making headway on plans for the Congress. It is an essential component of modernising our governance that will deliver an Institution that is led by members, supports members and serves society.”

The new Royal Charter and By-laws can be viewed here and the Governance Regulations can be viewed here.