Case Study: Making Board Opportunities Inclusive by Removing the Need for Previous Board Experience

What is this case study about?

This case study was produced on behalf of Historic England by Dr Ambreen Shah, Associate at Getting on Board. It draws on the experience of Collections Trust.

Based in the UK but working internationally, the mission of Collections Trust is to help museums work with the information that connects audiences and collections. Its collection management standard (Spectrum) and associated guidance are used worldwide to make museum collections accessible.

Visit the Collections Trust website to find out more.

What are the key points?

What was the challenge?

About 6 years ago, the Collections Trust Board was not diverse in a range of ways. It was mainly comprised of senior sector leaders and only a few people who were still involved in the day-to-day collection management at the core of the organisation's work. This made it challenging to make informed decisions based on current issues and practices in the collections sector.

The aim was to diversify the board to "mix things up generationally" and get the input of mid-career professionals.

What actions were taken?

Opening up the application process

• Collections Trust's key action was removing the condition that you needed previous board experience to apply. The organisation clarified in its board recruitment pack and marketing, including on social media, that applicants did not require prior experience. By doing this, it hoped to bring on the next generation of museum leaders
• It is now policy that a third of trustees will always be people who have no previous board experience
• It helped that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the board decided to have all meetings online, apart from an annual face-to-face strategy day. This meant geography was no longer a barrier to recruitment, and board members could better manage their commitments because they no longer needed to find the time to travel to meetings. This is very important for board members who are working, as a meeting is much easier to justify to line managers and employers than taking a whole day for travel

Developing careers

• Collections Trust promoted the benefits of becoming a board member to aspiring first-time trustees essentially as a career development opportunity. This included exposure to opportunities they might not get in their day jobs, such as decision-making, high-level risk management, and leadership
• New members were also given the opportunity to get involved beyond board meetings. For example, becoming a member of the audit committee, being invited to be a judge at the annual awards, or taking part in the annual conference

What was the outcome?

Today, the Collections Trust Board is more diverse. Among other things, the mid-career professionals who are first-time trustees have increased the board's ethnic diversity, better reflecting the make-up of the wider sector workforce compared with the senior leadership.

Collections Trust has rethought its induction of board members as well. For example, it recognised that some members may need a bit of extra help reading accounts, which they might not have been exposed to before, and signposted training for this.

No other major adjustments were needed. Most board members are choosing to serve their 2 full terms.

What lessons were learned?

• Recruiting young trustees has worked well, and boards should not be wary or concerned about recruiting younger members. They are keen, turn up to meetings, and provide good challenges: "There have been no downsides to this"
• It's ok for a third of your board to be first-time trustees. This has enhanced, not diminished, the board's effectiveness: "This has given us a good injection of enthusiastic young professionals who reflect our target audience"

Further reading

Getting on Board website

Board of trustees at the Collections Trust

Key contact

Kevin Gosling, Chief Executive, Collections Trust: [email protected]