Home About Events Standards Services Forums Resources Downloads  
  Contact Join Site Map

Not logged in. Log in.

Home > About PPDM > Board of Directors: Job Description

Board of Directors

This unofficial summary is for the information of potential candidates.

The Board consists of Directors elected at each Annual General Meeting of the Association. Each Director has a fiduciary responsibility to the members of the Association, which transcends the individual's relationship to his/her employer.

The size of the Board must be between 7 and 12, as set by the Annual General Meeting. Presently, it is 10. The Board may fill any vacany that arises during the year. It also has limited power to increase its size, thereby creating a vacancy.

The Board governs the Association by emphasizing strategic direction and values. The Board recognizes that the resources and values of the Association preclude a large administrative staff; therefore some work must be carried by volunteers, including Directors.

The Board endeavors to

  1. communicate with members of the Association, with the constant aims of fiduciary responsibility, effective understanding of members' business requirements, and enhancement of the benefits derived from membership.

  2. define, communicate, monitor and refine the Association's values and strategies.

  3. define, as goals, the essential deliverable products and services.

  4. delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the responsibility and resources to achieve the stated ends, within the limitations of what the Board defines as unacceptable practice.

  5. operate within the limits defined by relevant statutes and the Association's Bylaws.

  6. plan for its own succession at each Annual General Meeting.

  7. demonstrate leadership by embracing the spirit of voluntarism.

  8. promote to the upstream petroleum industry the benefits of the PPDM and recruit financial resources and voluntary participation in support of the Association.
     

The involvement and commitment of Directors is evidenced by

  • regular attendance at Board meetings (typically 10 to 12 per year)

  • sufficient advance preparation and active participation at meetings

  • active participation in ensuring performance in the interests of the members

  • striving to achieve concensus decisions by the Board.

The Board must elect from its members the following officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary. Several other specific responsibilities for leadership are also defined as required. Nominees should consider their willingness and qualifications to serve in these capacities. The Board also appoints a Treasurer.
 

General Guidelines

Although beyond the governance role of Board, we also expect that each Director will exhibit commitment to the Association through voluntary participation. In other words, each Director should be engaged in at least one PPDM activity, beyond what is required as a member of the Board. This could be participation in a committee or work group, or presenting a PPDM-related paper at an industry conference.

All expenses by Directors are for their own account (or that of their employer), except in special circumstances.

The term of each Director is one year; re-election is permitted and encouraged. For practical reasons, a nominee should be prepared (with employer's support) to serve for three years and spend at least 5 hours per month on Board affairs in addition to attending Board meetings.

Most Board meetings are one half day per month in Calgary. Participation by tele- or video-conference is acceptable, but in-person attendance is strongly encouraged for at least 3 meetings per year. Considerable discussion among Directors occurs between meetings, using Internet email and telephone.