Rosemary Ross, recently ended her last term as a Director on the board, here she gives us a great overview of what being an ArchiTeam Director entails
You might also ask, what does the ArchiTeam board not do? But mostly, we talk. Lots of talking. We try hard not to all talk at the same time, but there is just so much to say! The board is bung full of ideas. We try hard to focus on the most important ideas, and not get bogged down by the sheer number of great ideas. But hey, what a great place to be. A place where ideas are welcomed, discussed, analysed and implemented.
The board meets monthly (no longer in a dog box, now in the fantastic Thom McKenzie designed surroundings) and reports on progress. We do manage to have quite a bit of pizza and coffee whilst debating whether or not to host a conference, for instance. Just little things like that. (Unfortunately we don’t do wine at the board meetings but I think most of us secretly wish we did.)
Probably the most important thing the board does is employ the CEO. The terrific Phoebe, ably supported by Sarah, works with us to make all things ArchiTeam happen. Over several years, the board has been working towards a structure where the board does less of the implementation. With Phoebe, and Sarah, and now Nerissa (Events and Engagement), we are getting closer to this goal. We will keep working towards it!
If you really want to know, here is what each board member does:
Fabulous Peter Finn is in charge of insurance, and he talks a lot about risk. It’s his job to make sure the board understands the current risks to the insurance policy, so that we can make the best decisions to manage that risk. He is all over it.
Fantastic Fooi Ling Khoo magnificently manages our messaging. As Director of Marketing, she makes sure that more people know about ArchiTeam, that we look great (we are representing architects!) and that we are sharing lots of information about what is happening in and around small practice architecture.
Then there is the brilliant Barbara Moje, who forensically watches spending and ensures that we are operating within budget. Barbara has recently set up a Financial Advisory Committee to provide her with additional advice on our financial matters in the best possible way, so that we are making fully informed decisions.
My job was to watch over Member Services. That’s events like the CPD program, and the conference, and proforma contracts like the Client Architect Agreement. There is an increasing number of member services, and working out what we want to deliver, and what we don’t want to deliver, is key. In November, I stepped down and the Member Services portfolio was passed onto newly elected Director, Warwick Mihaly. I have also been looking after RASP, our Research in Small Practice program, which is just getting started, and which I will continue to manage.
And finally, the amazing Zoe Geyer who fortunately is still alive having yet again made the Awards Program happen, and yet again has made it the most successful awards program yet. That and managing our advocacy program keeps her out of trouble.
And did I mention that we all actually run OUR OWN architectural practices as well?
A huge shout out to each and every board member of ArchiTeam ever. Good work!