Governance
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The Board of Governors of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is unambiguously and collectively responsible for overseeing the RCS’s activities, determining its future direction, and fostering an environment in which RCS’s mission is achieved and the potential of all of its students is realised. The Board of Governors ensures that RCS complies with the legislative, regulatory and best-practice framework within which Scottish higher education operates.
The Board of Governors has ultimate responsibility for the deployment of resources in RCS and for the strategic plans of the institution. It also has a monitoring role in the overall performance of RCS, and the Principal is accountable to it for the effective and efficient management of RCS. The Board of Governors is responsible for the well-being of RCS’s staff and, with the Academic Board, it is also responsible for the well-being of students and RCS’s reputation.
The Board of Governors is also the Board of Directors of RCS in its capacity as a Company Limited by Guarantee with shareholders.
About the Board of Governors
The Board’s Statement of Primary Responsibilities sets out the Board’s purpose, responsibilities and accountabilities. The Statement also identifies those powers which the Board reserves to itself and summarises the roles and responsibilities of the various categories of Governors and the Secretary. The Statement is kept under review by the Board and reflects the Board’s various statutory and other regulatory responsibilities and obligations. The Statement also provides an important reference point for the Board’s periodic effectiveness reviews.
The powers and categories of membership of the Board of Governors and the Academic Board are prescribed by Statutory Instrument, which is available below:
The Conservatoire’s Articles of Association reflect the requirements of the Statutory Instrument and also the fact that the Conservatoire is a company limited by guarantee with a shareholding. The Articles of Association detail how the Board should conduct its business.
Board Membership
The membership of the Board of Governors is prescribed by Statutory Instrument: the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Order of Council 2014 as amended by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Amendment Order of Council 2020 (the “Order”). Within the terms of the Order, the Board must operate with between 21 and 29 Governors, comprised of the following categories:
Lay Governors
Not less than 11 and not more than 19. Within those upper and lower limits, it is for the Board to determine the number of Lay Governors to be appointed;
The Chair;
Senior Lay Governor.
Lay Governors are not remunerated and are appointed to the Board of Governors by the Board of Governors. The role of Chair is elected according to the requirements of the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Vice Chair is selected by the Lay Governors. The Board also appoints a Senior Independent Governor from amongst Lay Governors who, amongst other things, leads an annual appraisal of the Chair’s performance.
Ex Officiis
The Principal;
The Deputy Principal;
The President of the Students’ Union; and
The Vice President of the Students’ Union.
Staff Governors
One appointed by the Academic Board from among the members of the full-time academic staff who are members of the Academic Board;
One elected by the full-time academic staff from among such staff; and
One elected by the full-time professional services staff from among such staff.
The Board of Governors meets in full four times per session. There is an AGM held in December each year. Any Conservatoire student or staff member may attend a Board meeting as an observer – 2 weeks’ notice of such attendance should be given to the RCS Secretary.
If you are interested in becoming a Governor or require further information on any aspect of the Board’s work please contact the RCS Secretary.
Register of Interests Policy and Procedure
You can download our current board’s register of interest below:
Becoming a Governor
New Lay Governors are appointed to the Board from time to time on the basis of the Board’s analysis of its membership in terms of the balance of skills, attributes and experience of its current members.
We wish to appoint up to two/three members to our Board of Governors for a three-year term with the possibility of extension beyond this. We are looking for individuals who have a strong personal commitment to performing arts education and practice and who will support the Conservatoire in achieving its ambitions, ensuring that it is governed and managed effectively.
Because we wish to maintain a balance of expertise across the Board, on this occasion we are particularly looking for people with:
- Professional experience of developing and maintaining estates (physical and digital infrastructure), and/or building redevelopment
- Experience in the professional performing arts
- Commercial and/or entrepreneurial experience in the arts or other sectors
The Conservatoire is ambitious for the future and our staff, students and governors are passionate advocates for the transformative role of arts and artists in the world. If you are interested in contributing to and sharing in the success of the Conservatoire as a Governor by helping to shape its strategic vision, further information is available on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/why-rcs/vision-and-governance/governors/resources/ or on request from the Assistant Registrar (Secretariat), Deirdre McCrory, d.mccrory@rcs.ac.uk.
Potential applicants are also welcome to contact the Board of the Chair of Governors, Professor Dorothy Miell, for an initial discussion at d.miell@rcs.ac.uk
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is committed to promoting equality and diversity throughout its work and working environments. The Board recognises the importance of taking the lead in demonstrating this commitment and particularly welcomes applications from groups currently underrepresented on Scotland’s public bodies such as women, disabled people, ethnic minorities, and people aged under 50.
These challenging and rewarding roles are not remunerated but the Conservatoire can offer reasonable travel expenses and other essential expenses such as child-care for attending meetings. We will also provide induction and training as relevant.
For more information and to submit an application see here
Equality and Diversity
In meeting the required elements of experience and expertise, the Board will seek to achieve a balanced membership in terms of equality and diversity. The Board will also seek to achieve a blend of experience both from across Scotland, mindful of its national role, and beyond Scotland, so as to maintain appropriate ethnic, national and international perspectives.
Specifically in terms of gender, the Board committed to achieving a minimum of 40% of either gender of lay governors by 2018. This was achieved and the lay Governors in the current Governing Body (2023) comprises 50% female and 50% male.
In 2020 the RCS began work on a comprehensive Anti-Racism Action Plan which is live on the RCS website under Equality and Diversity.
Balance of skills, attributes and experience
The Board has identified the range of skills and experience which, collectively, it must include within its membership so as to effectively meet its primary responsibilities. The Board’s statement in terms of its desired balance of skills and attributes is given below:
Download the Board of Governors: Balance of skills, attributes and experience
Role and Person Specification for a Governor
As well as identifying the skills mix that the Board needs, the Board has also identified the role and person specification for individual Governors (irrespective of their particular area of expertise):
Committees of the Board
The Board operates a number of Committees which, in accordance with their agreed remits, undertake work on behalf of the Board. These Committees are:
- Academic Board
- Audit and Risk Committee
- Infrastructure Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Finance and General Purposes Committee
- People and Culture Committee
- Nominations Committee
- Remuneration Committee
Lay Governors are appointed by the Board to those Committees, which report to each meeting of the Board. Committee remits are given here:
Dates 2024/25
Any Conservatoire student or staff member may attend a Board meeting as an observer. 2 weeks’ notice of such attendance should be given to the Secretary.
In academic year 2024/25, the Board will meet on the following dates:
- 25 October 2024
- 31 January 2025
- 25 April 2025
- 27 June 2025
Previous meeting minutes
To follow
Current Members of the Board
Governors, individually or collectively, can be contacted via the RCS Secretary.
Lay Governors
- Andrew Butcher (Convenor of the Finance and General Purposes Committee and Member of the Audit & Risk, Development & Fundraising and Remunerations Committees)
- Dr Jo Buckley (Member of the Fundraising and People and Culture Committees)
- Morag Campbell (Member of the Infrastructure and People and Culture Committees and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion)
- Professor Stuart Cross (Member of the Academic Board and Finance and General Purposes and Nominations Committees)
- Dr David Hare (Senior Independent Governor, Convenor of the Remunerations Committee and Member of the People and Culture and Nominations Committees)
- Dr Robert Laidlow (Member of the Infrastructure Committee)
- Sharon Mair (Convenor of the People and Culture Committee and Member of the Fundraising Committee)
- Professor Dorothy Miell (Chair of the Board and of the Nominations Committee, Member of the Infrastructure, Finance and General Purposes and Remunerations Committees)
- Ed Monaghan (Convenor of the Buildings Committee and Member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee)
- Professor Nacim Pak-Shiraz (Member of the People and Culture, Nominations and Remunerations Committees)
- Philip Rodney (Convenor of the Fundraising Committee and Member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee)
- Professor Matthew Rooke (Member of the Audit and Risk and Infrastructure Committees)
- Caroline Roxburgh (Vice Chair of the Board, Convenor of the Audit and Risk Committee and Member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee)
- Dr John Taylor (Member of the Audit and Risk and Finance and General Purposes Committees)
Ex Officio
- Professor Jeffrey Sharkey (Principal and Convenor of Academic Board. Member of the Fundraising, Finance and General Purposes, Infrastructure and Nominations Committees and of the Risk Management Group)
- Dr Lois Fitch (Deputy Principal and Member of the Academic Board and Risk Management Group)
Student Representatives
- Ulysse Tonnelé Verjus (President of the Students’ Union and Member of the Academic Board, the Finance and General Purposes, Infrastructure, Nominations and People and Culture Committees)
- (Vice President of the Students’ Union)
Elected
- Elizabeth Jenkinson, Academic Staff
- Ruth Calder, Support Staff
Appointed by Academic Board
- Jean Sangster (Member of the Academic Board and Nominations Committee)
Trade Union Governors
- William English (Unison)
- Alexander Lee (EIS)
