BCS's strategy is endorsed by members

Vote followed an EGM which saw a record turnout

BCS president Elizabeth Sparrow thanked members for engaging in the debate

Following a difficult period for BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, a majority of the members who voted at the organisation's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) yesterday voted in favour of the institute's strategy.

The strategy includes a £5m transformation programme that would see the organisation broaden its remit to include the generation of commercial products. Some members had been opposed to this, and the EGM was called as a result of such opposition.

Some 32 per cent of the institute’s professional members voted, and of those, three quarters returned a vote of confidence in the trustees and CEO.

A written requisition to the board proposed three ordinary resolutions, all were defeated:

• A vote of no confidence in the current trustee board was voted against by 77 per cent.

• A vote of no confidence in the chief executive, David Clarke, was voted against by 77 per cent.

• A vote to suspend any further expenditure on the transformation programme until there is full, open and transparent disclosure of financial accounting relating to the programme was voted against by 62 per cent.

Three further resolutions were proposed by the trustee board and all were carried:

• That BCS Professional Members endorse the strategy adopted by the Trustee Board of developing BCS into one of the world's leading professional institutes for IT. This was agreed by 78 per cent.

• That BCS Professional Members support the decision of the Trustee Board to invest some of the substantial reserves of BCS in the new programmes proposed to implement the strategy. This was agreed by 75 per cent of those who voted.

• That BCS Professional Members have confidence in the Trustees and CEO and support the work they have done and continue to do, to make BCS relevant for both today and for the future. This was agreed by 75 per cent.

A special resolution proposing an increase in the number of professional members required to call an EGM from 50 to two per cent of the professional membership was removed by the chairman.

Following the meeting, BCS president Elizabeth Sparrow made a statement thanking all members who had engaged in the debate. "We also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to vote, whichever way you voted; the turnout was exceptional, more than twice the number of any previous Annual General Meeting," she said.

Sparrow added: “Feedback we received from members when the EGM was called indicated that many felt strongly that at 50, the bar for signatures to call an EGM was too low. Trustees chose to put this to a vote at two per cent.

"This issue has been one of the most contentious motions, and while it is clear that most members feel 50 is too low, some also feel that the two per cent bar is too high. My intention is to consult with trustees, council and members fully on a variety of options.”

David Clarke BCS CEO said that the organisation would act on the concerns that had been raised at the EGM. To read more click here.