IPA Council Elections 2024

What is Council and what does it do?

Council is the governing body of the IPA, incorporated by Royal Charter. It is responsible for the overall direction of the IPA, and acts as its main policy-making body and debating forum for the key issues of the day.

As such, its members are typically C-Suite level agency leaders. Please see the list of current Council members.

Council is led by the IPA President, who is responsible for running its meetings, aided by the Honorary Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer. The Honorary Secretary also chairs the Membership Committee and the Honorary Treasurer the Finance Committee.

How many members of Council are there and how are they elected?

Council comprises 42 elected members – 30 in the corporate class and 12 in the personal class – plus six 'ex officio' members.

Elected members are chosen by their peers for a period of three years, after which they can either stand for re-election or resign. 'Ex officio' members are not elected but have the same rights and responsibilities as elected members.

What are Council members’ responsibilities?

Members are asked to attend and contribute to Council meetings – there are four, two-hour meetings held at the IPA each year, in March, June, September and December – while maintaining confidentiality.

Given the sensitive nature of some of the subjects that come up for discussion at Council meetings, members are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement upon joining.

How will the election process work and what is the timetable?

There are two electoral classes for Council: Corporate (for directors or employees of corporate member agencies) and Personal (for Fellows or personal members).
Anyone who qualifies for both classes is entitled to stand in either but not both. The IPA would advise candidates to avoid standing against anyone from their own agency to maximise their chances of success.

The timetable for the 2024 elections is as follows:

• In mid-January 2024, the IPA will e-mail qualified individuals to let them know about the elections and seek nominations for the available places.
• The nominations deadline, by when the IPA will need to have received the completed paperwork for anyone wishing to stand, is 12 noon on Thursday, 15 February 2024. (The number of nominations received for each class, versus the number of available places, will determine whether an election will be required in one, both or possibly neither class.)
• The election(s) will take place from late February to early March 2024, after which all candidates will be informed of the outcome personally. (Candidates are simply informed whether or not they have been successful; the specific number of votes cast is not revealed.)
• The results of the election(s) will be announced at the IPA AGM on 21 March 2024.
• The newly elected members will be invited to attend their first Council meeting in June 2024.

How can I find out more or register my interest?

Please contact Suzanne Livingstone at the IPA in the first instance at suzanne.livingstone@ipa.co.uk / 020 7201 8243.