Overview
The role of the committee is to make recommendations to the governing body on the appointment of new members, and on the renewal of members whose term of office is coming to an end, but who are eligible to be re-appointed for a further term. The Committee also makes recommendations on the overall size of the governing body's membership.
The Chair of the nominations committee is normally the Chair of the Governing body. Additional members will be drawn from lay/independent/co-opted members, and frequently include the head of institution.
To help inform its decisions on possible new members, the Committee will usually consider a profile of the skills of its current membership and compare this with the skills it considers the governing body should have at its disposal. Recruitment to fill key gaps is likely to be a priority for the Committee. When appointing new members to the governing body, nominations committees are also be mindful of equality and diversity.
When seeking possible new members it is increasingly common to provide a written role description to potential applicants detailing, for example, the responsibilities of a governor and an giving indication of the likely commitment of time required to fulfil the role of governor.
Additional resources
Briefing note 15: Nominations committee
Board Diversification
Illustrative Practice Notes
Find out more about governing bodies and their committees