CONTEXT 181 : SEPTEMBER 2024 45 (1997–2007) The IHBC evolved substantially across the decade after its incorporation as a charity. At first it followed the ACO’s structure, with volunteer-led and thinly spread governance, management and services. But from 2004, with members’ agreement for an uplift in member fees, a paid executive role was created – that of director – which offered substantial new capacity. From 1997, the institute consolidated the constitution’s description of conservation practice skills around a listing of generic practice areas tied to the conservation officer: the IHBC’s ‘Competences’. With the new capacity, work focused first on clarifying and extending its regulation and specification of practice, with the Competences subsumed into a more generic practice model. This defined Areas of Competence – a term used in the original constitution – and aligned them within a formal but Conservation Cycle model and process. This allowed for a more structured and transparent assessment of competence specifically in interdisciplinary conservation practice. As the Conservation Cycle was embedded across the IHBC’s assessment, accreditation, advocacy and services, the institute’s modern role was encapsulated, and formalised, under the strapline: The Home of the Conservation Professional. 3. Planning and growing, with government, sectors and communities (2007–2015) The IHBC’s internal activities turned to establishing the infrastructure required of a modern professional body, marked by a sustainable business model and modern standards of governance. With added capacity represented by a national office, new income streams and business models were developed, managed largely through its trading arm, IHBC Enterprises. Appropriate corporate standards were agreed, aligning members’ historic ambitions to deliver appropriate, conservation-based outcomes with modern governance, all overseen by a recast board and facilitated by executive committees. These changes were consolidated in the IHBC’s first Corporate Plan, for 2007–10, adopted by members in 2007 and crystalised in successor plans. Since 2007, our Corporate Plans have advanced the principles of 2007, with service, educational and public-benefit priorities tied to our charitable objects: • Helping people • Helping conservation • Helping conservation professionals These objectives have been overwhelmingly supported by members at AGMs since 2007 and underpin our case for a Charter. 4. Reflection and renewal (2015–20) From about 2015, with membership increasing annually and expanding business services – including events, research and advertisements growing – more modernisation was needed. Through an exploratory process titled ‘IHBC+’, the institute initiated and tested alternative structures of governance more appropriate to its then and future standing, scale, complexity and sophistication. These structures included trustees more focused on oversight, more support for committee roles, and more diverse engagement, with wider input from an advisory Council accessible to all members of all categories. Following years of trials and engagement, the IHBC commenced the update of its constitution and, building on extensive consultation across members and UK charity regulators (and navigating the impacts of the pandemic), all culminated in the members’ adoption of a modern constitution – new ‘charter-compliant’ Articles of Association – in December 2020. 5. Consolidation, rejuvenation and charter exploration (from 2020) Lessons from earlier reflections and experiences helped consolidate the ambitions of the institute and its members. New solutions were sought, notably the establishment of a new All Party Parliamentary Group as a more proactive, aligned resource for advocacy. With these and other lessons in hand, the prospective benefits to a charter came into focus. As in my previous charterrelated columns, these musings are personal, so input is always welcome. They are also a retrofit of our history, selectively staged to take full advantage of this special opportunity to ask the PCO if a charter might benefit both the public good and the IHBC. Seán O’Reilly, director@ihbc.org.uk
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