The British Society of Echocardiography is governed by a board of Trustees, formerly known as elected Council members. The Board is supported in its decision making by Council which consists of elected members (the Trustees) and co-opted members as well as representatives of professional groups and organisations with an interest in echo.
Trustees serve a 3 year term and can, if they wish, seek election for a second term.
This year there are three vacancies for elected Trustees to serve from 2021 – 2024. These will be filled by on-line ballot. We want the Board to reflect all members of the Society, so all members are encouraged to stand for election and to vote once the elections open.
Any BSE member can be elected as a Trustee. It is very important that the Trustee Board and the Council reflect the membership as a whole, both professionally and geographically.
Trustees will be required to attend Trustee and Council meetings, usually scheduled for the same day, and to become an active member of a BSE Committee. It is important to be mindful of the time commitment required when applying. The commitment is likely to be 4 days per year for Trustee and Council meetings plus 2-4 committee meetings per year. Meetings will be a mix of face to face and virtual. Trustees also need to include some time for pre-reading and possibly preparation of reports. Reasonable travel expenses are covered for meetings relating to BSE Council / committee meetings.
Further information on the responsibilities of a Trustee can be found here.
Any member wishing to stand must be nominated by another member. Nominations must be received no later than midday on Thursday 23 September 2021 and must be accompanied by a declaration from the candidate that they are willing to stand for election, along with a statement in support of their application (strict maximum of 150 words) which will be published on the BSE website. Please send to [email protected]. E-mail is the preferred option for receipt of nominations.
The nomination should be in the format:
I [..name..] BSE membership no. ID[..number..] wish to nominate [..name..] BSE membership no. ID[..number..] for an elected position on BSE Council.
Prospective Trustees should be aware of conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest is any situation in which a Trustee’s personal interests or loyalties could or could be seen to prevent the Trustee from making a decision only in the best interests of the charity. On appointment all Trustees are required to complete a Declaration of Personal Interest form and a Trustee Eligibility Declaration form.