The current President of the Alpine Garden Society, David Morris, is due to step down and the Trustee Board invites applications for a successor.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2024.

The new President Elect will be announced at the Annual General Meeting in November 2024.

Person Specification – who we are looking for

• An inclusive, empathetic, transparent approach to leadership
• A passion for alpine plants
• A balance of independent judgement and an ability to work effectively as part of a cohesive Board
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• A diplomatic, clear, tactful approach, with the ability to listen and engage effectively
• A demonstrable understanding of the role of charity Board Members
• Proven experience of working effectively with a Board, with an ability to make the most of the skillsets around the table
• Experience of non-profit governance, ideally in a board capacity
• Experience playing a key role in an organisation’s evolution and growth

Role Responsibilities and Duties (three year term)

The President/Chair of the Society has a dual role. In addition to having the same responsibilities as any trustee they also have to act as a team leader with the extra duties and responsibilities that accompany this role.

General responsibilities of the President/Chair

Providing leadership for the board as it fulfils its governance duties and responsibilities toward the organisation, including :

• setting vision, values, mission strategy and high-level policy in accordance with charity regulations and the governing document
• monitor the organisation’s performance against established targets
• securing financial stability for the organisation
• assisting the Treasurer to protect and manage organisation property and investments
• safeguarding the organisation’s reputation and values
• must guide the Board to ensure that the Society operates in line with its charitable purposes
• must always act in the best interests of the organisation as a whole and not allow any personal interest to sway policy making
• making sure all organisational activities comply with regulations and the law
• reviewing major risks and making provisions for the organisation to respond appropriately
• appointing and managing the Chief Executive Officer (Society Director)
• organising and leading board development activities such as self-assessments
• delegating the above duties appropriately

Specific duties:

Meetings

• planning meeting schedules and setting agendas, in close liaison with the Society Director
• leading meetings and facilitating discussion, encourage all trustees to participate and prevent the more talkative members from dominating the debate

Board  leadership

• Alongside the society director, lead trustee recruitment and induction
• Ensure that the whole board is engaged – A Chair must not allow cliques or inner circles to form or allow cliques to influence policy to suit their own personal interests or those society activities in which they are interested.
• Utilise the skills and interests of all board members.
• To oversee the establishment and activities of the board committees, ensuring they are accountable and report properly to the board.
• Deal with conflict on the board
• Give direction to board policy -making.  Exercises leadership by setting priorities for the board and steering discussion toward strategic issues
• Monitor the implementation of board decisions
• Work closely with other Officers

Representing the organisation

Represent the organisation at functions and meetings (both internally and externally), and acting as a spokesperson as appropriate

Financial & legal responsibilities

The President must be prepared to be a signatory on the Society bank mandates and other official investment documents.

Limited Companies

• Act as a Director of each limited company and also a signatory on the bank mandate forms.
• Undertake the necessary ATOL training and pass the certification process to be the responsible person ATOL holder on behalf of the limited company.  This also involves ensuring that the necessary ATOL quarterly returns are accurately completed and submitted on time to the CAA.  In addition to ensure that the correct documentation and renewal forms are completed as part of the annual ATOL licence renewal process.
• Ensure that the necessary insurance policies are in place with regard to AGS Expeditions Ltd.
• Assist and advise with the planning of AGS Tours.

Staffing

• Work closely with the Society Director who acts a the CEO to the Society.  Both the Director and the President should liaise regularly and work together as a team on behalf of the board.  They should jointly seek ways of improving board effectiveness.
• Recruitment – oversee the selection process when a new Society Director is appointed.  This will entail ensuring that an appropriate job description is produced, proper selection procedures are followed and also representing the board on the appointment panel.

Remuneration

The position is a voluntary role although all reasonable expenses in pursuit of exercising the role will be covered.

How to Apply

To apply for the president/chair role, please provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV.
• A supporting statement. Please submit a PDF document (maximum two pages) that outlines a bit about you, what you feel is your most relevant experience qualifying you to be our president, and why you’re interested in becoming president of the Alpine Garden Society. Moreover, we would like to understand how you perceive the role of Chair of a charity like Alpine Garden Society, how you might approach the relationship between Chair and CEO and what is your vision for the society.
• We look to conduct interviews with successful prospective applicants during June 2024. The deadline for applications is 31 May 2024. For an informal conversation about the role please contact Tony Bryan, Director of the Alpine Garden Society – tony@alpinegardensociety.net
• To apply, please send your CV and supporting statement to tony@alpinegardensociety.net

About Us

Welcome to the Alpine Garden Society! We are one of the largest specialist garden societies in the world. The Society has a wide interest in plants that encompass not only true alpine and mountain plants, but also small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs, hardy ferns, hardy succulents, and small shrubs. We are passionate about plants.

The Alpine Garden Society was founded in December 1929. The main purpose of the Society was, and still is to educate its members and the public on alpine plants, their cultivation and conservation. We achieve our charitable objectives through staging our National Shows, publishing our quarterly Journal, The Alpine Gardener and by organising talks, events and conferences. Ever since its inception the Society has also built displays incorporating alpine plants at various national Flower Shows.

We are passionate about the conservation of alpine plants and as a registered charity, we fund cultivation and conservation projects across the UK and abroad. We also encourage the development of knowledge and skills in the alpine field by funding the AGS Trainee Scheme.

Alpine Garden Society members enjoy exclusive benefits such as expert-led AGS Expeditions tours all over the world and access to one of the biggest seed exchanges in the world.

The Alpine Garden Society is governed by a Board of Trustees and run by a director alongside a small staff cohort and a team of dedicated volunteers.

We are located adjacent to Pershore College in Worcestershire, where we maintain a quarter of an acre alpine garden adjacent to our office. We have a network of AGS local groups located around the country who stage regional shows, talks and events.