Call for nominations from 1 July 2022 for election as Treasurer of the Academia Europaea #

The Board of Trustees under Regulation 13 hereby issue a call for nominations to members of the Academia Europaea.
The closing date for receipt of nominations will be midnight on 31 August.
Download the nomination form.#

NOMINATIONS PROCEDURE:#

Nominations are open to all Ordinary Members of the Academia Europaea who have a record of regular financial contributions to the Academy. New members elected in 2021 are eligible. Life members are eligible and members granted a formal exemption from paying a subscription are also eligible.

For practical reasons of access and travel to meetings and for cost considerations, candidates should be resident /working in Europe. There is no requirement for candidates to be based in the UK or to be UK citizens. There are no age limits.

Self-nomination is acceptable, but each candidate must have the agreed support of two members.

The nomination form must be completed fully and returned as an attachment by email to the Executive Secretary by the closing date: execsec@acadeuro.org

The Role of the Treasurer#

The Role of the Treasurer set out formally in regulation 8.

In addition: The Treasurer is an elected officer of the Academia Europaea and a Trustee. Candidates must therefore be willing to be appointed and assume all the legal responsibilities of Trusteeship under UK Charity and Company law that apply to the Academia Europaea (a company limited by guarantee and a registered not-for-profit charity).

The Board of Trustees will appoint a sub-group to screen all candidates and a shortlist drawn up. The Board reserves the right to re-open a search, or otherwise identify and approach possible candidates in advance of any election. An electronic ballot of all eligible members will be arranged, or, otherwise in line with the regulations, an election shall take place at the 2022 AGM.

The general role of the Treasurer is seen as:#

The Treasurer is one of the directly elected officers of the Academy (the others being the President and Vice President(s)) and is, de facto, a member of the Board of Trustees and a Director of the Academia Europaea Company Ltd. The Treasurer serves a term of 3 years, renewable for one further term. The Treasurer may (but not usually) be required to act as a counter signatory for the Bank Accounts of the Academy. With the creation of the new subsidiary company in Bergen, the treasurer will also liaise with the Academic Director of the Hub to ensure correct financial management.

The Regulations state, "The duties include budgeting and control and the maintenance and supervision of the accounts and the receipt and expenditure of money on behalf of the AE and any other such duties as the Board may decide". In practice, the AE "budgets" are based upon a rolling cash-flow forecast, which the Treasurer needs to monitor through the office of the Executive Secretary. Full Accounts with a Balance Sheet and Income/Expenditure statements are prepared once a year as required by law and this may involve discussion with the Auditors. The day-to-day administration of finances is the responsibility of the Executive Secretary and the London office. The Treasurer will have overall responsibility to monitor and to ensure financial probity and regulatory compliance and have an oversight and input into any significant projects and developments.

The Treasurer also acts on behalf of the Board of Trustees as the focus for development and implementation of the financial strategy and policies of the Academy, in particular in relation to the critical matter of member donations/subscriptions and the generation of external income.

In addition to monitoring the finances of the organisation, it is essential that the Treasurer takes a strategic view of the financial status of the Academia and can alert the Board if needed on the longer term financial implications of any initiatives( such as major events) and policy changes. The same is true of the Hubs, even though all of the Hubs are self-financing.

The Treasurer will need to have experience with accounting practices, profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets, and cashflow predictions in order to be able to take responsibility for signing the accounts for the board. Since the AE is registered in the UK as a private Company limited by guarantee and a registered charity, UK law will govern these.

One thing that the Treasurer is not. He/she is not the sole/only Academia's fundraiser. This is a job for the whole Board led by the President and supported by the Executive Secretary. It is something that requires a continuous effort. Nevertheless, the Treasurer should provide Board leadership for, and coordinate the work of the new sponsorship and finance sub-committee. Thus an active input into fundraising is important.

The principle working relationship is with the Executive Secretary.

Oskar Mencer
(current) Treasurer