SOE members vote to approve new set of Mem & Arts in move to modernise

Original source: SOE website

A new set of Memorandum and Articles of Association

Society members have voted to approve the new set of Memorandum and Articles of Association (Mem & Arts) – the legal document that sets out the Society’s purpose and how the Society is run.

Members were given the opportunity to vote in the month prior to the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which was conducted in London on 30 Jun 2022. The revised Mem & Arts reflect changes that aim to modernise the SOE’s Trustee Board and place the Professional Centres at the very heart of the Society’s operation. In doing so, the SOE will be able to respond to future changes in government guidance, regulation, society and technology in a more agile way.

The Society’s President Adam Fraser-Hitchen said: “The endorsement from over 80% of our members that voted is hugely positive. It is the first update of our Mem & Arts in 15 years and one that has been long overdue. This will strengthen the foundations of the Society and allow us to build for the future with greater certainty. Our new Mem & Arts will allow us to serve our members with greater efficiency and flexibility. The end state that this endorsement will provide is a Society that better recognises today’s engineers while developing tomorrow’s engineers.”

Even more than previously, SOE will be an organisation focused on its professional sectors. One of 35 Professional Engineering Institutions (PEI) in the UK, the Society serves 16,000 qualified professionals in 40 countries. A united organisation made up of road transport, plant, engineer surveyors, environmental and operations engineers, SOE has linked expertise in each of its five professional sectors.

The President added: “As an organisation we remain focused on our professional sectors. We’ll empower our professional sectors with delegated budgets, free up the Chairs from the legal burden of Trustee Directorship to focus on their specialisms and give them freedom to grow their respective sectors. I want the SOE to become more attractive to our young engineers, to develop their competencies, and to build their confidence as recognised professionals.”

PSCs will also place a director-level representative on the Trustee Board, who is both competent and experienced, to provide a strategic link to their sectors while also helping shape the future of the SOE.

Throughout this process, the SOE has worked closely with legal partners Mills and Reeve LLP, Constantine Law Ltd and Keith Lawrey from the Foundation for Science and Technology and will remain engaged until the changes are completed. SOE’s charity status will not change.