ShareAction
This is an exciting time to join a growing organisation already established as a leading voice in the responsible investment space, and to play your part in helping shape a fairer, healthier, more sustainable future. The global investment system has an oversized impact on challenges from the climate crisis and biodiversity loss to poverty and inequality. We want to make sure that impact is positive. At ShareAction we work with investors, policymakers and individuals to unleash the positive potential of the investment system. We aim to build a world where our financial system serves our planet and its people.
ShareAction is widely recognised as a thought leader in the field of responsible investment (RI). The organisation’s mission is to define the highest standards for responsible investment and to drive change until those standards are adopted worldwide.
Background and Role Purpose
ShareAction’s impact and profile have grown significantly in recent years as a result of delivering a number of bold campaigns to improve social and environmental performance in the corporate sector with the support of some of the world’s largest investors. The organisation continues to produce highly regarded research evaluating and publicly ranking global asset managers, banks, and insurers on their sustainability performance. ShareAction enjoys significant opportunities and needs visionary leadership from its Board of Trustees to realise those opportunities in the coming years.
The term of our current Chair ends in August 2023. We are therefore looking to appoint a new Chair to support ShareAction in delivering an ambitious new strategy and in championing its mission and values. The selected individual will be appointed in January 2023 to serve initially as Deputy Chair/Chair Designate, taking over as Chair of the Board of Trustees from August 2023.
ShareAction’s team and funding are growing rapidly. We are looking for a person with the ability to guide and support the organisation in the context of rapid internal and external change.
Our Board is composed of to up to ten Trustees. The Chair of Trustees is expected to:
Provide leadership and direction to the Board of Trustees
Facilitate the Board in undertaking efficient and effective discussions and decision making
Work in partnership with the CEO and the Leadership Team to help them deliver the overall mission of the organisation through annual business plans
Enable a strong relationship between the Board and the staff
Time Commitment
The Chair of the Board of Trustees is expected to be committed and engaged, devoting, on average, a minimum of 2/3 days per month, spread across different activities and requirements. More details available in the Recruitment Pack.
Recruitment Pack
For more information on the role and the organisation, you can download the attached Recruitment Pack.
Key Responsibilities:
Chairing and attending regular meetings of the Board and its sub-committees (where appointed)
Contributing actively to and leading the Board in setting ShareAction’s strategic direction in line with its charitable objectives, in setting overall policies, and in evaluating the executive team’s performance against agreed plans
Ensuring that the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law and all other relevant legislation and regulations
Ensuring that management and administration are undertaken responsibly
Ensuring that the organisation uses its resources well and exclusively in pursuance of its charitable objects
Acting in the best interests of ShareAction while exercising independent judgement
Safeguarding and protecting charity assets (investments, cash, intellectual property, staff and reputation) and ensuring the charity’s financial stability
Acting as an ambassador for ShareAction and using networks to promote its work and, where appropriate, to seek funding
Assessing and scrutinising Board papers, setting the agenda for Board meetings and contributing to the work of sub-committees
Representing ShareAction internally and externally as and when required
Knowledge, skills and experience
Essential:
Commitment to and track record of demonstrating ShareAction’s values of courage, persistence, independence, inclusivity and respect for others
Experience of board governance in the charity or SME sector, ideally chairing a board or board committees
Deep understanding of responsible investment practice
Strong know-how of the international financial services sector
Working knowledge of how public policy is developed and financial supervision applied
Experience of stakeholder management, ideally including management of funder relationships
Interest in organisational design and development as well as management of a growing organisation
Willing to act as an ambassador and influencer on behalf of ShareAction, ideally tapping into a network in relevant sectors and fields of activity
Evidence of Diversity & Inclusion experience/achievements
Experience relevant to the mission of ShareAction and a willingness to champion its values
Expected:
Strong leadership, governance and change management experience
Firm and well-evidenced commitment to the aims and work of ShareAction
Collaborative and emotionally intelligent
Ability to lead a team and work as part of a team, in a culture of learning and change
Willingness to support, directly or indirectly, ShareAction’s fundraising and other income generation activities
Ability to think creatively
Assertive, willing to exercise independent judgment, while facilitating a balanced discussion where everyone involved feels free to speak up and has the opportunity to join in
Understanding, or willing to learn about, the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
Willingness to support ShareAction’s executives and staff in their work as appropriate
Not be disqualified from being a trustee
Ability to make the time commitment to perform the functions of the role
Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday, 24 October 2022
Three rounds of interviews between November and December 2022:
Appointment date: 1 January 2023
ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities and so if you are not 100 percent sure that you meet all the requirements but believe you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply and use the application questions to tell us about your experience and what you hope to bring to this role.
We have a London office and we actively encourage staff to work in ways that best suit their needs and our flexible working policy outlines many of the options available - such as part-time and term-time working, job sharing, home working and working compressed hours. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.
ShareAction’s London office is based in vibrant Bermondsey and a short walk from London Bridge underground and national rail. Remote working will remain the norm for many ShareAction staff as we continue to face the Covid-19 pandemic, with office space available as described in London for those who wish to use it.