The role is to chair the Board and the General Meetings of members, and to work closely with the chief executive. The appointment fills one of the organisation’s three independent non-executive director roles. The chair is focused on the business of the organisation, with very little involvement in ambassadorial roles which are the primary responsibility of the president, past president and president-elect (none of which are on the board).
The chair is a Board appointment (subject to ratification by the members) and the appointee can serve up to three years per term of office, and up to two terms.
Independent directors were introduced following major constitutional change in 2017, and the first independent chair is about to conclude the permitted maximum of six years in office. During this time, England Golf received public funding designated for golf from Sport England and, therefore, is bound by the Sport England Code for Sports Governance.
The chair role:
1. Provide leadership and direction for the Board and through the General Meetings in order to achieve the objectives of England Golf.
2. Ensure the organisation runs to the highest standards of corporate governance and best practice, and in an open, equitable and transparent way, always in the interests of its members and the game as a whole.
3. Guide and assist through leadership of the Board and General Meetings in the development, approval and monitoring of England Golf's strategic plan, its business plan, financial plan and annual plans, and the risk register.
4. Challenge, support and work with the chief executive in relation to delegated powers and duties, creation of organisational strategy and plans, and their execution, working closely with the Board.
5. Contribute through the Board and relationship with the chief executive to provide operational excellence, policy formulation and review, the best management of financial resources, and effective staff and stakeholder management.
6. Advise and guide the members of the Board, chief executive and executive staff and more widely.
7. Represent and promote the best interests of the organisation and the game to the widest audience.
Further information:
8. The expected time commitment is in the region of 20 days.
9. The role is entitled to a directors’ fee of £18,000 per annum as well as expenses for attending meetings as required and any other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. All other non-executive
directors are volunteers.
10. Under the Sport England Code for Sports Governance, no individual may be appointed as a director until they have provided to the organisation a declaration of good character
11. There is a requirement to have 30% of each gender on the Board