Council is the Institution’s governing body and Council members are its trustees.

To ensure that ICE is effectively run, trustees are required to:

• Have a diverse range of skills, experience and knowledge
• Be able to think and act strategically
• Be from a cross-section of civil engineering sectors

 

• The role of Council
• Council members and their responsibilities as trustees
• Council member competencies
• Expected commitment
• Term of service
• 2013 Council vacancies
• Sponsors
• Nomination form
• Election timetable

The role of Council

Council has the following collective duties and responsibilities to:

• Develop strategy and policy in the interests of the Institution, the profession and the public, to propose ideas and constructively build on those of others 
• Take decisions about the priority of strategic issues based on the importance of the issue to the Institution and the profession and the availability of resources
• Monitor the implementation of policies and activities of committees at a high level and assess the effectiveness of the agreed strategy
• Represent the policies and views of the Institution and the profession in a positive way to external audiences
• Communicate with the membership, representing the views and policies of the Council, and receiving feedback from members
• Take professional advice where appropriate

Council members and their responsibilities as trustees

Council members in carrying out their duties:

• Should be exemplary role models as leading members of the profession
• Must act at all times in the best interests of the Institution
• Must ensure that the Institution operates within its object as defined in the Royal Charter
• Must not benefit from their position beyond that which is allowed by the law and is in the interests of the Institution
• Must identify and declare any actual or potential conflict of interest
• Must not accept gifts or hospitality where this could be seen as likely to influence the decisions of the Council
• Where representing a particular constituency, will ensure that their constituency’s views and interests are present in the debate, but must vote in the interest of the Institution as a whole

Council member competencies

The following competencies are desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of the objectives and range of Institution activities, the role of Council and the key internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to think at a strategic level, understanding both the process of development and implementation of policy, and the implications of strategic and policy decisions on the Institution's resources  
• Ability to challenge constructively
• Ability to promote the Institution internally and externally in a positive and constructive way
• Leadership ability, listening to others, influencing others and taking decisions as necessary
• Understanding of team member role, and listening/working constructively with others
• Specific skills to enhance professionalism including presentation (technical and practical), oral communication, and interpersonal skills
• An understanding of financial reporting
• An awareness - on local, national and global scales - of civil engineering issues and an appreciation of how the Institution can lead or assist change for the better

Expected commitment

Elected members are expected to attend Council meetings regularly in order to make an appropriate contribution. In addition, members are required to set time aside to read and prepare for the meetings, so that they can confidently and effectively carry out their trustee responsibilities.

There are four Council meetings in a year:

• Three meetings last approximately three hours and are usually held in the afternoon
• One Annual Strategy Meeting is held over a two-day period

Term of service

Each Council member will normally serve a three-year term and will commence their service on the first Tuesday in November following their election.

Council members are elected by ICE members and a ballot is held annually to replace one third of Council members who are due to retire at the end of their three-year term.

A member can stand for re-election for a second three-year term. Members can also serve for a third and final three-year term but only after a break of service.

2013 Council vacancies

In order to stand for election you need to:

• Choose – the appropriate category that applies to you
• Be nominated – by five sponsors as described in the above table
• Complete – a nomination form
• Submit – your nomination form, signed by your sponsors, to the Council Office

Sponsors

A member can sponsor only one candidate and the sponsor must be a paid up ICE member. Sponsors need to meet the eligibility criteria (set out in the table above) and will need to read the notes in section C of the nomination form before confirming his/her support.

Nomination form

Please submit your nomination form with the support of your five sponsors to the ICE Council Office by 31 March 2013.

Election timetable

The election will run from 1 June to 9 July 2013. The result will be announced on Tuesday 16 July 2013 at the Institution’s Annual General Meeting.

Further information

If you would like to find out more about Council nominations, please contact the Council Office on +44 (0)20 7665 2077/2013 or at council@ice.org.uk.