We caught up with ISE Fellows Alison Heron and Terence Perrin to find out about their role and why the Nomination, Remuneration & Governance Committee is important to our membership.

ISE stalwarts Alison Heron, formerly Global University Relations Director at GSK, and Terence Perrin, International Talent Lead at Wells Fargo, have been involved in our membership for more than a decade.

During this time they have both held the esteemed role of ISE Chair.

Terence explained, “As part of my remit I was pushing our global and development agendas. This included providing more specific opportunities for those communities with the creation of specialist conferences and award recognition. I also laid the foundation for moving the Association of Graduate Recruiters into the early careers arena, which Alison built on when she took over as Chair.”

Alison oversaw the organisation’s rebrand from Association of Graduate Recruiters to Institute of Student Employers.

“I inherited from Terence the importance of extending ISE’s remit as well as elevating the position of the organisation”, said Alison. “Becoming an Institute involved everything from changing the constitution to making sure our members understood the changes and were consulted through the process, and of course all the housekeeping such as developing the new visual identity.

“I was also involved in changing the make up of the board to include universities and suppliers. I think that was a big deal and signalled a more inclusive board for the future.” 

Their wealth of experienced coupled with their continued support of the ISE meant that they were nominated to be ISE Fellows by our Directors. “People assume that if you have the right experience you can automatically be a fellow, but that’s not the case. It’s not something you can apply for,” explained Terence.

Most prominently as Fellows Alison and Terence play an integral role on the Nomination, Remuneration & Governance (NRG) Committee along with Cath Possamai (Vice Chair of the Board) and Karen Luckly-Tang (Director).

“The role of Fellows is coming under the NRG remit. We’ll review the role’s direction and think about the future. We need to ensure they bring valuable experience based on the strategic direction ISE is taking. We need to get our Fellows working more closely with the Board,” added Terence.

Why do we have a NRG Committee?

The committee was formed in 2016 to improve the governance structure of our organisation.

Alison explained, “It’s good practice to have a committee that takes responsibility for aspects of running an organisation, making recommendations to the Board. This is particularly important in a membership organisation, as it provides another channel for members to raise questions, relating to governance of their organisation.”

Nomination

The committee leads the process for Fellow nominations and ISE Board appointments, reviewing the balance of skills, knowledge and experience to ensure appropriate succession planning.

The Committee came into its own last year as the Board recruitment process was reviewed and improved.

“The job descriptions now strategically align to ISE’s pillars and specific needs of the organisation – for example, overseeing events, leading on policy or supporting the development of our research programme,” said Terence. “They ensure relevant expertise across the Board, helping to drive accountability, as there are established areas to deliver against. We are also creating a more diverse Board by consulting with the D&I steering group.”

A record number of applications, greater diversity and the recruitment of six new Directors was testament to the improvements made by the Committee. The process is being continued this year as we open recruitment for four new Directors.

The Committee’s role doesn’t end at the recruitment process. “We gather feedback on the induction process from new Directors to ensure that the reality matches their expectation and track their progress. One of our responsibilities for the coming year is to review and improve how performance is measured,” explained Alison.

Terence added, “We look at succession planning too, thinking about the succession of the Board and of the CEO so that we have the right people, at the right level. We’re also involved in the exiting strategy; defining a process and ensuring feedback is acted on as well as establishing an expectation among Directors that there will be an exit interview.”

Remuneration

The Committee also determines the policy and practices for the remuneration (including salary and reward structure) of the ISE team.

More recently it has helped benchmarking salaries and brings a balanced view to salaries and reward packages. “By being distanced from the day-to-day running of the Institute, conflict of interest in further reduced,” said Alison.

Governance

Finally, the Committee advises the Board on matters relating to governance of the ISE, ensuring the articles of association are abided by and kept up to date.

Alison explained, “The role of governance continually evolves to meet the changing needs of the organisation. It involves reviewing and maintaining our risk register, which we are now looking at quarterly and we recommend any changes to the Board.”

In their role as ISE Fellows, Alison and Terence bring a wealth of experience and work closely with the Board to ensure the organisation runs effectively and remains on point with its strategic direction while keeping a close eye firmly on the future.

The application deadline for applying to be an ISE Board Director is Friday 23 September. Find out more about the roles and how to get involved.