Governance

The Institution of Analysts and Programmers is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and operates as a registered charity in England and Wales. Its Constitution comprises of its Memorandum and Articles supported by its Ordinances and Standing Orders, which are underpinned by various regulations.

The Institution is ultimately governed by the Trustee Board, which is a voluntary body partly elected from the Institution’s membership at its Annual General Meeting in October of each year.

Members of the Trustee Board are the trustees of the Institution. They discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees are automatically appointed non-executive directors of the Institution and have the legal duties and obligations of company directors under the Companies Act 2006. The trustees exercise their powers collectively under the Institution’s Constitution, unless individuals are specifically authorised otherwise by the Trustee Board.

The President and Vice-President are elected for renewable one year terms by the Trustee Board from the Elected Trustee at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting each year. The most senior officer of the Institution is the President, who acts as the professional body’s ceremonial head. The Vice-President of the Institution deputises for the President. The Treasurer and Secretary are appointed annually for renewable one year terms by the Trustee Board at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting each year.

The Trustee Board reserves certain matters for its consideration but delegates much of its power to the Director General, who appoints the Institution’s Executive Board with their approval. The Director General is the Institution’s Chief Executive Officer and its strategic leader. The Executive Board is chaired by the Director General and comprises the Director for Professionalism and Education, the Operations Director, the Finance Director, the Director for Member Engagement, the Technology and Communications Director and the Marketing Director. The Executive Board also benefits from the advice of the Director Emeritus.

The Trustee Board has several committees that focus on various aspects of the Institution’s work. The Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for auditing the Institution’s activities and assessing its exposure to risk. It is chaired by the Treasurur and two other Members of Trustee Board, who must not hold any executive post within the organisation. The Treasurer also chairs the Remuneration Committee, which consists of two Members of Trustee Board (again who must not hold any executive post) and sets the fees of senior executives.

The Nominations and Appointments Committee is chaired by the President and consists of three Members of Council and the Director General. It is responsible for appointing Members of Trustee Board to Trustee Board committees,  as well as working with the Director General to appoint the executive directors and other senior members of staff. The Nominations and Appointments Committee also makes recommendations to the Trustee Board regarding the election of Distinguished Fellows and Companions of the Instititution. The committee also recommends the appointment of the Director General.

The President’s Committee, which consists of the Honorary Officers and Secretary of the Institution and the Director General, considers urgent matters and such other business as the Trustee Board considers fit to delegate to it from time to time.

The advisory Council of the Institution considers matters referred to it by the Trustee Board and represents the views of the membership to the trustees. Members of the Council act as ambassadors of the Institution representing it to the wider IT community and the general public.