Notice of the 270th Annual General Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the 270th Annual General Meeting of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) will be held in The Great Room at the Society’s House, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ and online on Thursday, 10 October 2024, at 6pm. 

Agenda

1. Welcome and Apologies
2. Minutes of the 269th Annual General Meeting held on Thursday, 19 October 2023, and matters arising.
3. To receive and consider a report from the Board of Trustees, including the accounts.
4. *Resolution 1: To approve the Trustee Board’s appointment of Loyd Grossman CBE as Chair of the RSA Board of Trustees
5. *Resolution 2: To approve the Trustee Board’s reappointment of Ian Ailles as a Trustee and Co-Treasurer.

Tim Eyles (Chair of the Board of Trustees) 

22 July 2024 

*See Explanatory Note

The RSA: Incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity in England and Wales, number 212424 and in Scotland, number SC037784. 

President HRH The Princess Royal

Trustee Board

At the start of the 2024 AGM, the Trustee Board comprises:

• Tim Eyles (Chair)
• Charlotte Oades (Deputy Chair)
• Jill Humphrey (Co-Treasurer) 
• Ian Ailles (Co-Treasurer)
• Neil Beagrie#
• Sandra Boss
• David D’Souza
• Andrea Kershaw
• Hosein Khajeh-Hosseiny
• Sam Lewis
• Eva Pascoe#
• Shaifali Puri
• John Towers
• Erica Myers-Davies (RSA Oceania Representative)

Changes to the Trustee Board since the last AGM

#Neil Beagrie and Eva Pascoe replaced Tony Sheehan and Claire Doran in January 2024 and March 2024 respectively.

RSA Charter and Bye-laws

The Society’s Charter and Bye-laws can be accessed on our website at:  

https://www.thersa.org/about-us/governance/bye-laws-and-charter 

Impact Report and Audited Statement of Accounts  

The Society’s Impact Report, and Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements, can be accessed at:

https://www.thersa.org/about/governance/annual-reports

Explanatory Note

*Resolution 1: To approve the Trustee Board’s appointment of Loyd Grossman CBE to the position of Chair of the RSA Board of Trustees

Loyd Grossman is a broadcaster, entrepreneur, and writer with a long-standing commitment to the arts and heritage. He has been an enthusiastic Fellow of the RSA continuously for 31 years.

He has served as Chair of The Royal Parks, Chair of Gresham College, Chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, Chair of National Museums Liverpool, and Vice Chairman of the Royal Drawing School.

Loyd’s past appointments also include as a board member of English Heritage, The Museums and Galleries Commission, The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, The British Institute of Florence, and as a member of the Council of the LSE, where he is now an Emeritus Governor.

A keen guitarist, Loyd and his band made their eighth appearance at Glastonbury in 2019 and every December he performs with Jethro Tull in a series of concerts to benefit English cathedrals.

Loyd was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2015 for services to heritage.

*Resolution 2: To approve the Trustee Board’s reappointment of Ian Ailles as a Trustee and Co-Treasurer of the RSA

Ian Ailles is Co-Treasurer of the RSA.

Ian holds several non-executive and trustee roles across travel, housing, and health.

Ian is a qualified chartered accountant with an executive background in investment banking, travel, and digital industries, principally in the private sector and also in private equity. His most recent executive role was as the first Director General of the House of Commons.

Ian has previously worked extensively overseas and is a keen supporter of diversity of all kinds. He is married with two young adult daughters and plays sports in his spare time.

Alongside his role as Co-Treasurer of the RSA, Ian is a member of the RSA’s Audit and Risk Committee.