Council and our committees

The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers is a registered charity established in 1863, governed by by-Laws, which were last amended in July 2001, and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1929.

IGEM has a Governance Manual which is regularly reviewed and summarises all of the key governing documents, incorporating charter, by-laws, membership policy and procedures, finance policy and procedures, charity law and IGEM's quality policies and procedures. In addition, IGEM has a conflicts of interest policy.

The main decision making body of IGEM is Council which governs and identifies the strategy that IGEM will adopt and implement.

The Council is responsible for the overall governance and control of IGEM. It creates and facilitates policy and strategy initiatives through the committee structure. Each of our committees reports to the council by the submission of meeting minutes and papers. At least one member of Council sits on each committee. In addition, the Chair or Vice Chair is a trustee.

Nominations for Council are now open, you can download the nomination form and the roles and responsibilities of trustees from the Resources Panel on this page.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee was set up to assist in compliance with the requirements of IGEM's certification for the Quality Management System BS EN ISO 9001:2015. Certification was first awarded on 3 July 1997 and transferred to Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) on 18 January 2013. The Audit Committee normally meets at least twice a year to review the Quality Management System for compliance.

It reports directly to Council and its role is to audit the application of and compliance with IGEM policies, procedures and governance, and to provide assurance to the trustees that the running of IGEM is compliant with governance requirements. It also audits the membership registration and application procedures to test for compliance with Engineering Council requirements. It ensures that the requirements are met for external bodies such as the Privy Council, Charity Commission and Engineering Council UK (ECUK). The audit programme has been developed on a risk based approach, which is managed through IGEM's risk register and internal audits are carried out on a three year rolling programme.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee, on behalf of Council, approves applications for the election and transfer for the different classes of membership. Two sub-committees, namely the Academic Panel and Professional Development Committee, assess and approve non-exemplifying individual academic qualifications.  The Membership Committee retains its critical role in maintaining the Institution's license from the Engineering Council. The Chairman ensures the functioning of all processes and obligations under the Membership Policies and Procedures Manual. The whole process is now covered by strict quality assurance procedures compliant with BS EN ISO 9001, the Institution's Quality Manual and Governance Manual. Every five years, the Institution is audited for compliance by the Engineering Council for the renewal of its license to register gas engineers.

Finance Committee

IGEM's Finance Committee is accountable to Council for guidance and assurance in respect of most financial matters. It has amongst its members Trustees, investment and engineering experts and also the Head of Finance who is a Chartered Accountant. It meets at least twice a year to oversee finance policy and investments.  The committee monitors the governance of IGEM through financial viability, continued development of financial policy and procedures and the assessment of financial risk.

Marketing Committee

A standing committee of the Institution, the Marketing Committee is responsible for promoting IGEM's brand and optimising all revenue opportunities through the promotion of membership services, technical publications, codes of practice, events, sponsorship and advertising and the IGEM House conference facilities.

The committee advises the Marketing and Communications Manager and Media Manager in the development of the marketing and communications strategy and annual budget. It promotes and represents the voice of the members and, as with all other committees, is chaired and run by volunteer members with the support and input of the full time team. The committee is supported by a Website Subcommittee and the Editorial Panel that guide the strategic direction of the Journal and IGEM's website.

Technical Co-ordinating Committee

The Chairman's Technical Committee, originally created in 1939, became the Technical Co-ordinating Committee in 1972. The new name was deemed more suitable since it was believed the terms of reference would better allow its members to review future programmes of technical work and make policy recommendations. It was also decided that, for continuity, the Chairman would hold office for three years. The new terms of reference empowered the committee to co-opt additional members whose advice was deemed to be desirable. In the first year, representatives from the Gas Council's production and supply division, marketing division and the SBGI were asked to serve on the committee. This pattern is still followed today with representatives of various bodies such as the HSE, Energy & Utilities Alliance (EUA) formally SBGI, Ofgem and companies dealing with gas supply, distribution, utilisation and LPG sitting on the committee in order to encompass the whole industry. There are four sub-committees dealing specifically with utilisation, transmission and distribution, measurement and LNG. There are also technical panels who deal with the standards and ad-hoc working groups as required. These groups also have representatives from relevant bodies within the gas industry and from the technical services department.

Strategic Planning Committee

The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) was created by Past President Richard Haddon and includes the full presidential chain, the CEO and the Chairman of all seven working committees. Depending on the meeting agenda, guests and other members are invited to attend, normally to provide an update on a specific issue or strategic objective. The committee was originally envisaged to be in existence for a short period, but still continues to this day - although with a slightly different remit to their initial role. The SPC, which was formerly the Executive Board and prior to this the Finances and General Purposes Committee, reports to Council with regard to policy matters and makes recommendations accordingly. Their core function is the preparation of a business plan to ensure that the agreed business strategy is being delivered. Recently, the focus has been to help reshape the Institution to meet the changing needs of stakeholders and the wider gas industry.

International Committee

The International Committee reports to Council bi-annually and was set up in 2011 to develop an international strategy and consider regional activity and its potential impact on IGEM activities. Typically, these reports would reflect the interests of members, major conferences, significant investments, the role of competitors, academic interventions and consideration of mutually beneficial partnerships.  They will investigate opportunities for new memberships and new sections to be formed and identify suitable training and development opportunities for individuals and companies working within the gas sector.