Do you feel that you have a valuable contribution to make to our Olympic Gold Medal winning Sport, have the skills, attributes and experience detailed in the role description below and have time available to commit to British Eventing (BE)? Then you may wish to consider applying for the role of a BE Director.
British Eventing is served by a non-executive Board and the Directors act on a voluntary basis. There can be up to nine Board Directors, and the Chairman is appointed by the Board. Except for the Chief Executive, who is a Director by virtue of her position, Directors can be elected (up to four Directors) or appointed (up to four Directors) to serve a term of four years. They can serve a further four years in direct succession if re-elected or re-appointed.
Chris Tattersall is coming to the end of his first term in office and Nigel Taylor’s two consecutive terms have now come to conclusion. This means there will be elections for two Directors at our Members Meeting to be held on 8 December 2022 in accordance with our Articles of Association.
The Board currently benefits from Directors with experience and professional backgrounds including IT, law, investment banking, coaching and event organising. The Directors are also riders, officials and owners within the sport.
The Directors have reviewed their range of skills and experience, which is summarised in the Board Skills Matrix further below. This review, as recorded in the Board Skills Matrix, has identified that the Board would benefit from people with skills and experience in Media/Comms & Digital and Accounting. Accordingly, the Board would welcome candidates with experience in these areas. However, this does not prevent anyone from nominating themselves to stand for election (provided they fulfil the criteria detailed in Article 37, as set out below), as ultimately these are elected positions.
Whilst the Board meets formerly a minimum of 6 times per year, Directors are involved with committees and regular video conference calls are held. On average Directors commit 2 days per month to British Eventing.
How can I nominate myself?
If you are interested in standing for election and meet the criteria as detailed in Article 37 of the Articles of Association detailed below, then please download and complete a nomination.
Please return completed nominations and associated attachments by midnight Sunday 9th October 2022 by email to mark.sartori@britisheventing.com
Article 37
37.1 No person shall be eligible to be or remain a Director:-
(a) unless he is a Member;
(b) if he has an entitlement to compete in horse trials or other equestrian competitions as a rider or manager of a team for any country other than Great Britain, unless he shall have made a statutory declaration in a form approved by the Directors that he will not so compete; or
(c) if, in the opinion of the Directors, his objectives are not aligned with those of the Company;
(d) after he has served as a Director for eight consecutive years until two further years have passed, during which he has not been a Director. This does not apply to the Chief Executive Officer, who is a Director by virtue of his office.
37.2 No person shall be elected or appointed a Director after his 73rd birthday unless the Directors resolve to the contrary in any particular case.
37.3 Directors must declare all actual or potential direct and indirect conflicts that they may or do have under Section 175 of the Companies Act 2006. This includes the exploitation of any property, information or opportunity whether the Company could have taken advantage of such property, information or opportunity. The Directors may authorise matters giving rise to such actual or potential conflicts in accordance with the Act.
Applicants should note that under Article 40, the current Elected Members on the Board may recommend a Member (or Members) for election. The Elected Members are considering doing so, but if they do, they must do so not less than 21 Clear Days before the AGM.
Article 40
40. Not less than twenty one Clear Days before the date appointed for holding an Annual General Meeting, at which Elected Directors are due to be appointed, notice shall be given to all who are entitled to receive notice of the meeting, of any Member who is recommended by the Elected Directors for appointment or reappointment as an Elected Director at the meeting, or in respect of whom a nomination notice has been duly given to the Company of the intention to stand at the meeting for appointment or reappointment as an Elected Director. The notice shall give the particulars of that person which would, if he were so appointed or reappointed, be required to be included in the Company’s Register of Directors.
Current Director Skills Matrix
| Non-Eventing Skill/Experience | |
|---|---|
| Business Management/Business Transformation | Mark Sartori Jane Peters Di Brunsden |
| People Management/Development | Mark Sartori Jane Peters Di Brunsden |
| Finance | Mark Sartori Di Brunsden |
| Commercial | Mark Sartori Jane Peters |
| IT/Digital | Di Brunsden |
| Media Comms / Digital | Required |
| Accounting | Required |
| Legal- Governance | Sandeep Katwala |
| Legal-Contract/Dispute Resolution | Will Cursham |
| Other Board/Trustee Experience | Mark Sartori Sandeep Katwala Di Brunsden |
| Eventing Specific Skills/Experience | |
|---|---|
| Competing- Professional/High Level | Helen West |
| Competing: Pro-Am | Mark Sartori (ex) Di Brunsden (ex) |
| Competing-Grassroots | Will Cursham |
| International/Elite Sport | Helen West Di Brunsden |
| Youth | Jane Peters |
| Organising | Jan Cottam (ex-Goring Heath) Helen West (ex-Bicton) |
| Owner | Mark Sartori Di Brunsden Jane Peters Jan Cottam |
| Official | Jan Cottam Helen West |
| Volunteering | Jane Peters Jan Cottam |
Director ROLE DESCRIPTION
British Eventing (BE) is the governing body for the Olympic sport of eventing and a member of the British Equestrian Federation. It is our role to foster the sport in the UK and prepare riders to compete on the international stage.
Director skills, experience and attributes :-
- Upholds the highest standards of integrity and adheres to the Seven Principles of Public Life (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership)
- Be enthusiastic, dynamic and energetic
- Have a strong sense of team work and willing to work collaboratively with all stakeholders
- Experience of chairing Committee meetings
- Knowledge, experience and a passion for sport and sport related matters is essential
- Can afford the time to commit to the role
- British Eventing actively promotes diversity and welcomes applications from all parts of the community
Term of Office
- BE Board Directors may stand for 2 terms of 4 years each
Remuneration
The role is voluntary. Out of pocket expenses will be paid
Main responsibilities
- To adopt an open and constructive approach to all Board proceedings, contributing proactively to Board debate and promoting the active contribution of others;
- To diligently review and consider all information provided to the Board and to seek further information if required to properly inform Board debate;
- To develop proposals on strategy and to determine the strategy and strategic objectives;
- To scrutinise executive performance in meeting agreed strategic goals and objectives, and to constructively challenge executive action;
- To satisfy themselves on the integrity of financial information and that financial controls and risk management are robust and defensible;
- To undertake a tailored induction programme and to regularly update and refresh their skills and knowledge;
- To participate in and respond to the Board’s annual evaluation of its effectiveness; and
- To ensure that they contribute effectively in those areas in which the NED has particular knowledge, skill and experience.
