Governance processes

Our governance structure is made up of Council, several Committees and Divisions and various Panels, each with their own defined purpose and responsibilities. Because the numerous roles within our governance structure are so varied, we use a number of different processes to recruit members onto them. We do this to make sure that the processes for joining our governance structure are as fair as possible, while remaining fit for purpose. On this page you can find details of how we run these processes.

If you are interested in applying to join our governance structure, please view our vacancies page.

If you’re interested in other ways to get involved, you can view our get involved page.

There are three processes used to recruit members to our governance structure which run every year. These include our annual election, appointment by Council and appointment by the Members Panel. In circumstances where not every vacancy is filled during the annual recruitment cycle, the remaining vacancies may be filled by co-option.

Election

We recruit the majority of the members who sit on our governance structure via our annual election. Council, the Committees and the Divisions each have Elected Member positions which are recruited via this process.

Each year, we put out an open call for candidates to submit applications for the vacancies we have available that year. We then compile these applications, anonymise them and invite eligible members to vote via an anonymous ballot. You can find out how to submit an application via our vacancies page.

Any microbiologist may apply to the election, including non-members, with the caveat that non-members must become members before the start of their incumbency, if they are successful in the election.

In general, Full, Full Concessionary, Postgraduate and Honorary Members are eligible to vote on all positions in the election. There is one exception to this rule for positions on the Early Career Forum Executive Committee, which can only be voted on by members of the Early Career Forum, including Affiliate and Undergraduate members.

Appointment by Council

Certain positions on Council (the Society’s Board of Trustees and Directors of the Company) are appointed by Council itself. These include the President, Treasurer, General Secretary, and all of the Committee co-Chairs with the exception of the Early Career Forum Executive Committee co-Chairs. These make up just over half of the total number of trustees on Council.

Each year, we put out an open call for candidates to submit applications for the available vacancies. We then compile these applications for review by the Appointments Panel, which is set up by the General Secretary.

The Appointments Panel then makes a recommendation to Council about who they think Council should appoint to the available vacancies.

Any microbiologist may apply to Council appointed positions, including non-members, with the caveat that non-members must become members before the start of their incumbency if their application is successful. You can find out how to submit an application via our vacancies page.

Appointment by Members Panel

This process applies to Members Panel representatives and Members Panel co-Chairs only.

As the role of the Members Panel involves holding Council, and the Society more widely, to account on equality, diversity and inclusion, Panel representatives are appointed, with some independence from Council.

Whenever there are vacancies on the Members Panel, we put out an open call for applications to sit on the Panel with particular emphasis on inviting applications from members from historically marginalised backgrounds. You can find out how to submit an application via our vacancies page.

The Appointments Panel for this process is comprised of the two co-Chairs of the Members Panel, the General Secretary and one representative from the Members Panel whose term on the Panel is ending at the end of the year.

Co-option

In circumstances where not every vacancy can be filled by election or by appointment, vacancies may be filled by co-option to ensure that the Society’s governance can function properly.

Co-option is undertaken at the discretion of the co-Chairs of the relevant body, usually following the close of the normal election and appointments cycle. Terms of office for co-opted members may vary depending on the circumstances of their co-option.

If you have any questions about our governance processes which are not answered here, please contact us via [email protected] with your query.