Structure
Management Structure
Executive Board
Composed of 8 to 15 Trustees elected by Council, the Executive Board meets 3 or 4 times per year and is the ultimate decision making body for the Institute. It is tasked to develop and implement the Strategic Plan, manage the affairs of the Institute on behalf of the members, and appoint and oversee the performance of the Chief Executive.
It may delegate powers to committees but remains responsible for policy decisions, monitoring progress against plans, issuing an annual report and audited annual accounts. The Trustees must also discharge their statutory and legal responsibilities as Company Directors. Any submissions under the Institute’s Disciplinary Guidelines will be handled by the Board. A sub-committee of Trustees specialises in Financial and Audit matters. The Nautical Institute maintains standards through its committees which mostly report to the Executive Board.
Council
The principal responsibility of Council is to elect the Trustees and ensure delivery of the Constitutional objectives of The Nautical Institute, assurance of performance and assessment of risk. Council also acts as an advisory body to the Executive Board and the specialist committees due to its larger, international composition (35 to 56 members) drawn from many sectors of the maritime industry.
At least half the members of Council must be actively employed in a sea-going capacity. Important functions are strategic oversight and input to the management process and to consider/approve Strategic Plans prepared for the Executive Board by its committees. In so doing it will ensure exploitation of the full range of expert advice available in the international members. The Assurance and Nominations committees report to Council.
Assurance Committee
A sub-committee of Council members to assess the performance of the Executive Board and committees against agreed Key Performance Indicators and make remedial recommendations to Council where necessary. To assess risk within the governance structure and provide consequent advice to the Executive Board.
Nominations Committee
Composed of 12 members and reporting to Council, it is tasked to assess candidates for nomination as prospective members: of the Council and its committees; of the Executive Board; and as Chairmen, and where appropriate Vice-Chairmen, of the committees.
This will entail effective succession planning and recommendations to Council. Standards and candidates for Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship are also assessed by this committee so as to make recommendations to Council and the Executive Board. It is also responsible for developing further criteria and procedures, if necessary, for election to and dismissal from the Executive Board.
Membership Committee
To consider all applications for membership of or affiliation with the Institute and subject to the guidelines approved by the Executive Board, elect new members or affiliates in grades appropriate to their qualifications and professional development as specified in the By-Laws; to oversee the Branch network, and work with the staff and branches to promote membership of the Institute; to review the criteria for membership and make recommendations to the Executive Board for any amendments. To consider membership services and subscription rates, and make recommendations to the Executive Board. The committee normally meets twice per year.
Technical Committee
To consider and make recommendations to the Executive Board concerning all matters of a technical professional nature and their training requirements (correlated with the Professional Development Committee); to oversee, through a Publishing Advisory Group, the publishing activities of the Institute, ensuring that appropriate media are used and standards are maintained. The committee will normally meet twice per year.
Professional Development Committee
To keep under review and advise the Executive Board on proposals and topics related to education, qualifications and professional development for the maritime profession, including accreditation standards. The Committee will particularly ensure recommendations are correlated with seagoing requirements and experience, and that effective professional techniques are proposed to meet new developments internationally. The committee will normally meet twice per year.
IMO Committee
This committee will normally meet once per year to formulate, on behalf of the Executive Board, the policy of the Institute on matters to be debated and worked on at the IMO. The committee also oversees the work of the Institute delegation to the IMO and liaises closely with the Chief Executive and Head of Delegation to ensure the Institute makes an effective contribution to the work of the IMO on the basis of evidence gathering from the membership.
A key responsibility of the committee is to select the subject matter that is most important for the Institute to contribute to the IMO. The committee provides a summary report of the Institute’s activities at the IMO to Council and the Executive Board on an annual basis, and it is considered that substantial electronic communication between the members of the committee is necessary throughout the year. Members of this committee are directly elected by Council for 3 years and may be re-elected for further 3 year periods.
Staff
The Institute employs a fairly small permanent staff on a full time or part time basis. At least one third are professional mariners who have held senior positions at sea and / or within the maritime industry previously and they are encouraged to maintain current knowledge through coastal voyages annually. Performance standards for staff are laid down in the Institute Staff Handbook. The Institute runs an appraisal scheme related to tasks and performance reviews which in turn are linked to the provisions of the five year Strategic Plan.
