Constitution of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees

1. Name

1.1 The name of the Association shall be “The Association of Member Nominated Trustees” (AMNT).

1.2 The AMNT is a Company limited by guarantee.

2. Mission Statement

The primary purpose of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees is to be a collective voice promoting the role of Member Nominated Trustees and Representatives within the governance of all United Kingdom occupational pension schemes

3. Aims

3.1 To support the development of member nominees and to enable them to perform their role to the best of their ability.
3.2 To provide member nominees with a collective voice and, if desired, to lobby on pension matters.

3.3 To promote, provide and guide access to training services, which help meet member nominees’ needs and enabling them to be more effective in their roles.
3.4 To help identify and champion best practice among pension schemes – including scheme governance, performance and communications.
3.5 To provide a networking environment through which member nominees can share their experiences and challenges with other member nominees in confidence.
3.6 To conduct research or studies which may help member nominees become more effective in their performance.

4. Membership

4.1 Full Members

4.1.1 Full Membership of the AMNT is open to any Member Nominated Trustee, Director or Representative of a recognised Occupational Private or Public Sector Pension Scheme or Independent Governance Committee.

4.1.2 Individuals may request to join by completing and submitting the appropriate registration form and on payment of any membership fee if any be applicable and as may be set by the Management Committee from time to time.

4.1.3 Individuals may join at any time whilst they fulfil the joining criteria and shall become members when accepted by the Management Committee who may require validation of registration details. The Management Committee may refuse membership to any applicant without having to give reason.

4.1.4 Full Members who no longer fulfil the Member Nominee status, may remain members of the AMNT for the remainder of the current Association year, or longer by invitation of the Management Committee. Members shall remain members otherwise until such time that they formally give notice to the AMNT Administrator or Company Secretary.

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4.1.5 Membership can be withdrawn from any member by agreement of the Management Committee at any time.

4.1.6 Only full members shall be entitled to become Management Committee members, or to vote at the Annual General Meeting and any General Meetings, or to represent the AMNT in formal meetings with third party organisations.

4.2 Associate Members

4.2.1 The Management Committee may invite any person to become an Associate Member of the AMNT for a period not to exceed 12 months, but which can be renewed annually by the management committee. Associate members may be individuals or organisations which are supportive of the AMNT aims and activities.

5. Friends and Sponsors

5.1 The AMNT shall encourage the development of Friends – companies and individuals in the pensions industry who are supportive of the AMNT’s aims.

5.2 These Friends may be categorised in any manner that the Management Committee so agree from time to time to include sponsors .

5.3 This categorisation may be linked to a sponsoring plan whereby in return for an annual or itemised fee set by the Management Committee the AMNT will make available certain services or access to members.

5.4 The Management Committee always reserve the right to limit the number of Friends and by category if deemed appropriate. The Management Committee may also terminate any Friend’s association with the AMNT for any reason.

5.5 The Friends may organise themselves in such a way as to elect their own representatives, but they shall have no right to open or hold a bank account in the name of AMNT, nor participate in any financial transaction that places any liability upon the AMNT, nor indicate that they represent the AMNT to any other third party.

6. Management and Powers

6.1 The AMNT Company has at least three Directors drawn from the elected Management Committee and one of whom acts as the Company Secretary and they collectively ensure that legal requirements are met. The Directors have delegated day to day operations to the Management Committee.

6.2 The management of the Association shall be vested in a Management Committee comprising not less than 6 and not more than 15 members. A maximum of 12 of these members may be elected to the committee by a vote of the Full Members in conjunction with an AGM. A maximum of 3 co-optees may be appointed from the Full Members by the elected members of the Committee to serve until the next AGM.

6.3 Elected members may serve for a period of 3 years and may seek re-election for up to a further two periods. Co-optees may be annually appointed for up to 3 years without becoming elected members of the Committee.

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6.4 The Management Committee shall at its first meeting following an AGM and at later meetings if necessary appoint a Chair or Co-chairs, a Treasurer, Sub-Committee roles, Co-optees and any other role including a Vice Chair as required. These roles will serve until the equivalent meeting following the next AGM. Any co-optee may serve in any role except Chair, Co-chair or Vice Chair. This meeting will also agree the formal Director appointments which will usually include the Chair or co-Chairs.

6.5 The Management Committee shall have the power to appoint sub-committees (comprising members of the Management Committee or other members) and to delegate to these sub- committees such powers and responsibilities as it shall think fit

6.6 The Management Committee shall have the power to appoint, employ or contract such staff or services and on such terms as in its opinion may be required to meet objectives.

6.7 For a Management Committee Meeting five shall be a quorum of which at least 4 shall be elected members.

6.8 It shall be permissible at an Annual General meeting to elect an Honorary Life or Founder President if so proposed by the Management Committee.

6.9 Decisions at all meetings shall be made by majority vote and in the event of a tied vote the acting Chair of that meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

7. Meetings

7.1 Annual General Meeting

7.1.1 An AGM of the Association shall be held every year at such time and place as shall be agreed by the Committee and advised to all the current members by email or other form at least 21 days in advance.

7.1.2 Nominations for the Committee shall be provided to the Company Secretary or Administrator as advised at least 14 days in advance of the AGM.

7.1.3 For an AGM ten members shall be a quorum.

7.2 General Meetings

7.2.1 Any meeting other than an AGM or a Management Committee or Sub-Committee meeting shall be a General Meeting and open to all full members. A General Meeting may be called by the Management Committee or by not less than one fifth of the full members and in each case twenty one days notice of the meeting and the reason for calling the meeting shall be given.

8 Finance

8.1 Monies may be raised through membership fees, sponsorship arrangements with industry vendors, donations from supportive organisations, from trading of AMNT intellectual property or from other services. All such activities shall be approved by the Management Committee acting at all times with due care and prudence.

8.2 All monies raised will be used to further the aims and objectives of the AMNT.

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8.3 The Treasurer shall maintain up-to-date financial records and shall make a report to the AGM. The Treasurer shall not be permitted to allow a debit balance or utilisation of any overdraft facility without the prior approval of the Management Committee.

8.4 The financial accounts shall be independently examined each year by an appropriate person to be agreed by the Management Committee and a true record be made available to all members at the AGM.

8.5 The AMNT shall maintain bank accounts as required to meet its objectives. There shall normally be at least two signatories required to each bank account from any of the Chair or Co- Chairs, the Treasurer and one other Management Committee member. Special consideration will be given to enable e-banking capabilities.

8.6 All payments shall be made against properly approved documentation.

9. Amendments

9.1 The constitution may be amended from time to time. Proposed amendments shall be made known to all full members by email or in writing with at least 21 days allowed for response. Amendments shall be adopted if at least two thirds of the members responding agree.

10. Equal Opportunities

10.1 The AMNT throughout its activities will seek to promote equality for all and to eliminate all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination on grounds of race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, age or disability, both within its own structure and through all its activities including employment practices.

11. Non-party political status

11.1 The AMNT will, throughout its activities, operate on a non-party political basis.

12. Dissolution

12.1 The organisation may be wound up by agreement of at least two thirds of the members responding to any such proposal, or in the exceptional event that obtaining such a response is not feasible, then by the agreement of the Management Committee.

12.2 Any assets of the AMNT at the time of dissolution shall be passed to another organisation with similar or related objectives and if that is not possible then to a charitable organisation agreed by the Management Committee.

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