IIME Advisory Board Terms of Reference
Background and Purpose
1. The Institute for International Management and Entrepreneurship (“IIME” or “the Institute”) at Loughborough University London undertakes research, teaching, and engagement in international management, entrepreneurship, and related fields. It establishes the IIME Advisory Board (“the Board”) to provide external perspective, expertise, and networks to support and enhance the Institute’s activities, impact, and reputation. The Board is intended to be valuable and meaningful for both IIME and its volunteer members, creating opportunities for strategic exchange, collaboration, and visible contribution.
2. The purpose of the Board is to provide strategic advice, engage in thought leadership, and advocate for IIME and Loughborough University London.
3. The Board is advisory. It has no executive, management, or decision-making authority. Its role is to inform, challenge, and enrich the Institute’s thinking, not to determine or approve Institute strategy, programmes, research priorities, or operations.
Responsibilities
4. Advice: The Board acts as a strategic sounding board for IIME. It advises on whether the Institute’s programmes, research agenda, and activities remain relevant, distinctive, well rounded, and aligned with employer demand, industry practice, and wider societal developments.
4.1. In providing advice, the Board contributes to long-term thinking about taught programme development and portfolio, student experience and employability, research priorities, enterprise and external engagement.
5. Thought Leadership: The Board leads and supports the development and dissemination of practitioner-relevant ideas by connecting academic expertise with contemporary organisational, entrepreneurial, and policy challenges.
5.1. This may include involvement in teaching through guest lectures, collaborative projects, collaborative dissertations, and similar student-facing initiatives.
5.2. It may also include development of practitioner-oriented outputs such as articles, briefings, reports, podcasts, or events for high-impact outlets such as Harvard Business Review, The Conversation, or similar.
5.3. The Board may establish working groups between meetings to explore specific themes, develop ideas, and produce outputs. Themes and tasks should be decided by the Board based on its deliberations and priorities and should address current issues of interest to Board members that broadly relate to IIME’s areas of work. The Board may invite IIME faculty members to contribute to working groups.
6. Advocacy: The Board supports the reputation, visibility, and external reach of IIME and Loughborough University London.
6.1. This may include representation at events, facilitating introductions to industry, professional bodies and policymakers, support for research impact and engagement activities, and advice on how IIME can strengthen its external profile.
Composition and Membership
7. The Board comprises not fewer than 12 and not more than 20 external members.
8. Board members are appointed following a formal Call for Nominations issued by IIME and are selected for their expertise, experience, networks, and ability to contribute effectively to the fulfilment of the Board’s purpose and responsibilities.
9. In making appointments, IIME seeks broad coverage across relevant company types, sectors, professions, geographies, background, and levels of seniority:
9.1. This includes large corporates, SMEs, professional services firms, government, public sector bodies, civil society organisations, social enterprises, and international organisations.
9.2. The Board should include expertise relevant to IIME’s teaching and research, including areas such as strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, international business and management, artificial intelligence, human resource management, accounting and finance, public policy, sustainability, and organisational leadership.
9.3. Membership should include both senior leaders and mid-career or emerging leaders who bring current operational insight, entrepreneurial experience or perspectives on changing workplace expectations.
9.4. IIME will seek diversity of background and perspective of Board members, including gender, ethnicity, nationality, professional pathway, sector, and geography.
10. The Board has a Chair and Co-Chair.
10.1. The Chair is appointed by IIME from among the external members. The Chair convenes Board meetings, develops agendas, and appoints working groups in consultation with Board members. They support the independence and external orientation of the Board by ensuring that the agenda is not driven solely by internal priorities and encourage issues to emerge from the Board itself.
10.2. The Co-Chair is the IIME Institute Director or their nominee from among IIME faculty. The Co-Chair works closely with the Chair to develop agendas, coordinate working groups, support follow-up and ensure that Board advice is considered by the Institute. They lead on planning and organising Board meetings.
Terms of Office
11. Board members are normally appointed for a term of three years, with approximately one-third of the membership’s terms expiring on an annual basis.
12. Members may be reappointed and serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms (normally six years).
13. To support continuity, initial appointments may be staggered, with approximately one-third of members serving initial terms of two years, three years, and four years respectively.
14. The Chair is normally appointed for a term of three years and may be reappointed twice for a maximum of three consecutive terms (normally nine years).
15. Members may resign by giving written notice to the Chair. The Chair may resign by giving written notice to the Co-Chair.
Meeting Procedures
16. The number and format of meetings are commensurate with the Board fulfilling its responsibilities. Normally, the board meets quarterly, with two in-person meetings and two virtual meetings per year, scheduled in alternating order.
17. In-person meetings normally take place at Loughborough University London, with an online attendance option provided for members unable to travel to London. Online-only meetings use Microsoft Teams or alternative platforms provided by the University.
18. Meetings normally last half a day. In-person meetings may include lunch, dinner or a networking element to support relationship-building and engagement.
19. Meeting dates should normally be scheduled in advance for the year.
20. The agenda is developed jointly by the Chair and Co-Chair. It should include both Institute priorities and issues emerging from Board members, working groups, and external developments.
21. The agenda and materials are circulated at least one week before each meeting.
22. The Board may also work through written consultation, bilateral discussion, small-group meetings, and working groups between formal meetings.
23. In the absence of the Chair, the Co-Chair may chair the meeting. If both are absent, the members present may agree another member to chair the meeting.
24. Other individuals may attend meetings, or parts of meetings, where relevant, subject to agreement by the Chair and Co-Chair.
Outputs and Reporting
25. The Board’s outputs may include advice, observations, recommendations, challenge, introductions, working group outputs, practitioner-oriented publications, event contributions, and feedback on strategic priorities.
26. A concise summary of key points, advice, actions, and emerging themes will be prepared after each meeting and circulated to Board members, relevant attendees, and IIME faculty.
27. Working groups will report back to the Board on progress, proposed outputs, and recommendations.
28. The Co-Chair will ensure that Board advice is considered by the Institute and, where appropriate, reflected in programme development, research planning, engagement activity or future Board agendas.
29. IIME publishes details of the Advisory Board on its website, including membership, and these Terms of Reference.
Remuneration and Expenses
30. Membership of the Board is voluntary and unpaid.
31. Board members will not normally receive reimbursement for costs incurred in attending meetings or participating in Board activities. If facing exceptional circumstances, Board members are invited to make a case for support with the Co-Chair, who will liaise with the Institute Director whether financial support can be provided. This is at the sole discretion of the Institute Director.
Confidentiality and Conduct
32. Members may receive confidential, commercially sensitive or otherwise restricted information. They are expected to respect confidentiality and use information received through the Board only for the purposes of fulfilling their advisory role.
33. Members should declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest in relation to matters under discussion.
34. Members are expected to contribute in a collegial, constructive, and respectful manner.
Review
35. These Terms of Reference will be reviewed every three years, or earlier if required.
36. Amendments will be approved by the Institute Director following consultation with the Chair, Co-Chair, Board members, and relevant University colleagues.