Nominations are now open for the election of directors to the ABDO Board. There are five seats open, two of which are currently held by members entitled to seek re-election: Julie Lees and Andrew Symons.
Nominations are sought from fully qualified ABDO members who wish to make a meaningful contribution to the future of the profession.
ABDO is committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive and being an organisation where all belong and is, therefore, keen to ensure that the Board is representative of the Association’s membership and particularly encourage members who are currently underrepresented to stand for election. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQ+ people.
ABDO Board members are required to attend four Board meetings per year, and attend at least two nationally organised meetings a year, including the ABDO Annual Meeting. In addition, Board members may be expected to attend a range of committee meetings both within ABDO and externally. The role is unpaid although Board members can claim reasonable expenses.
All candidates will be asked for a submission of up to 250 words in which they are asked to detail any relevant experience they can bring to the Board and outline their aspirations for the future of the Association.
ABDO members who may have a conflict of interest as a result of, for example, holding a board or senior management position with another optical body, may not be eligible for election.
Any person seeking election should complete the candidate form and include details of their six nominators. Nominators should then individually complete and sign the separate nomination form.
If there are more valid nominations than seats vacant then a ballot will be conducted by an independent organisation: CIVICA Election Services, The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 0NW. Ballot papers will be dispatched on Friday 12 July 2024, voting will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 27 August 2024.
Members elected will take up their duties on Thursday 7 November 2024. Their period of office will be for three years with the opportunity to stand for further terms of three years.
The closing date for nominations is 5pm on Friday 14 June 2024.
Members who have any queries about the process or eligibility to stand should contact Jane Burnand by emailing jburnand@abdo.org.uk or call her on 0793 9936827.
A second webinar, providing insight into what being a member of the ABDO Board involves, will take place from 7.30-8.30pm on Thursday 23 May. Book a place here.