Society seeks trustees for Benevolent Fund
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is looking for four fellows of the Society to serve on a new board of trustees for the Benevolent Fund. The board's membership will be completed by two Council members and two persons who have relevant experience but are not members of the Society.
The trustees will be responsible for the overall running and management
of the charity and will make and oversee all major decisions. They will
set its strategic direction and ensure that it is well managed and meets
its objectives. They will be responsible for the charity’s financial
security and transparency.
Until now the Society’s Council has itself acted as the board of
trustees for the Benevolent Fund. In the light of impending new legislation
affecting the Society’s role, and the steps the Society is taking
to act in the wider public interest, the Council has
re-examined the governance of the fund and has decided “for the
benefit of all stakeholders … to put beyond question the independence
of its charitable functions” by appointing independent trustees.
It is offering the role to fellows because it believes they have much
to offer and are an underused resource.
The trustees will meet at the Society’s headquarters up to four
times a year. They will be unpaid.
The Council has also agreed on the form of a new governing trust deed
that clearly sets out the activities and aims of the Benevolent Fund
and the trustees’ powers, so that future trustees will operate
outside the terms and provisions of the Society’s Charter.
The new board will be advised by its own legal advisers. It will continue
to receive administrative support from the Society.
In a document prepared for potential applicants the Society says that
trustee boards need people with a range of skills and experience. It
is therefore looking for applicants who support and understand the objectives
of the Benevolent Fund, communicate well, are comfortable with decision
making, work effectively in a team and preferably have some knowledge
of how charities operate. It goes on to list the following desirable
criteria:
· A general understanding of and interest in the health care professions
and pharmacy in Britain
· Independence of mind and judgement and experience of making objective,
unbiased, thoughtful decisions
· Good communication, intellectual and analytical ability
· Willingness to devote time and effort to the duties and responsibilities
of a charity trustee
· Commitment to the seven principles of public life, as set out in 1995
in the first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the
Nolan report): selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability,
openness, honesty and leadership
· Specific professional knowledge, experience or skill in any of the
following: social work, counselling or therapy, research or education
and finance or investment.
The normal term of office for trustees will be three years, renewable
up to a maximum of nine consecutive years. However, some of the first
appointments will be for other periods to allow for a measure of continuity
and experience as the initial terms of office expire.
A letter seeking applications is being sent to all fellows of the Society.
Advertisements are
to appear in next week’s Journal and in the national press.
Applicants must complete an application form available through the Society’s
website.
Those without internet access can request a form from Catherine Hope,
Royal Pharmaceutical
Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN (tel 020 7572 2270; e-mail
catherine.hope@rpsgb.org).
The closing date is 31 July 2006.
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