Governance

Election of Chair and Steering Committee

The Social Investment Forum will be partnering with the Diversity Forum for the election process of the inaugural SIF Chair and Steering Committee. This is open to all active SIF members.

The nomination window has been extended until Friday 6th November. Nominees will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and make the case for their candidacy at the next SIF meeting on Thursday 19th November. There will be a secret ballot held the following week to confirm these roles.

Please read this note on the nomination process and timeline for more detail.

If you would like to nominate yourself for the SIF Chair or Steering Committee, please email will.thomson@sibgroup.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 6th November.

Nomination Process

We are not limiting the selection process to the senior leadership teams and would welcome nominees from any active member of the SIF. Candidates should:

  • Work at an active member of the SIF – active members are organisations directly making investments in UK social purpose organisations that deliver financial and social return.

  • Be able commit an appropriate amount of time to Steering Committee meetings and calls as required.

  • Demonstrate a strong interest in, and commitment to, advancing the activities of the SIF.

We are looking for diverse range of individuals to be involved in the governance of the SIF – with different backgrounds and lived experiences. Our ambition is to ensure that the SIF is more representative of both the social sector and wider society, as well as to expand opportunities for people to take on leadership roles within the social investment landscape. We have a particular interest in broader representation and involvement of groups under-represented in the sector, including:

  • Women

  • ·People who identify as BAME

  • LGBTQ+

  • People with disabilities

  • People from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds

Why are we doing this?

There is a disconnect in the socio-economic backgrounds of social investors making decisions, individuals running social services, and individuals seeking funding for their organisations – and this lack of diversity is more pronounced in social investor leadership. The Diversity Forum was set up in 2017 in response to this issue, with a mission to improve sector diversity and to drive inclusive social investment in the UK – and it is a strategic partner of the Social Investment Forum (SIF).

The relaunch of the SIF with an updated structure presents an opportunity to embed principles of diversity, inclusion and representation into the governance and leadership of the forum from the very beginning, taking a more proactive approach to addressing issues of diversity in the sector.

How are we looking to do this and the challenges we might face?

We plan to run the SIF Chair and Steering Committee election process in conjunction with the Diversity Forum to assist with reaching new networks, tailoring messaging and expanding the pool of potential candidates. We want to be clear that the SIF is looking to make diversity, inclusivity and representation a core part of its governance from the outset. 

In recognition of the lower levels of diversity within the senior-leadership of social investors, we have decided to expand the remit of people who would be able to apply for roles as Chair / Steering Committee – and are looking to actively encourage people who may not have considered putting themselves forward. We are also considering positive action by ringfencing specific roles to people with protected characteristics in the SIF governance. We are aiming to strike an appropriate balance of skills / experience and representation, acknowledging there needs to be an appropriate mix for the SIF to be effective.

What we hope this will achieve

To help the achieve our common vision of a more equitable, diverse and inclusive social investment sector, it is important to ensure that the SIF is grounded in principles of inclusion, representation and justice. The SIF will be open, transparent and accountable in how it approaches these issues, with the ambition to have diverse governance that supports its effectiveness, leadership and decision making.

Diverse and inclusive governance will not only ensure that the SIF is more representative of the social sector and wider society, but it could also expand the opportunities for people with different backgrounds and experiences to take on leadership roles within the social investment landscape.