A number of measures designed to modernise further the governance of British tennis were approved today by members at a General Meeting of the Lawn Tennis Association Limited (LTA) held at the National Tennis Centre, Roehampton.
The measures include the creation of the role of an independent Chairperson of the Board, the abolition of the post of LTA Honorary Treasurer, and changes to the terms of office for Council Board members.
LTA President, Peter Bretherton, said of the proposed changes: “The LTA has already done a huge amount to support the modernisation of governance at the LTA, including last year’s move to incorporation. The LTA Council deserves great credit for its foresight over the past several years. We are fortunate already to have two independent non-executive members of the LTA Board, in Val Gooding and Richard Baker, and today’s resolutions will help us to keep the LTA in forefront of governance reform in sport, in line with the recommendations of Sport England and the Government.”
With the proposal for an independent Chairperson approved, an open appointment process will take place with a view to that person being in place on 1 January 2013.
The new Chairperson would chair the LTA Board whilst the LTA President will continue to promote British Tennis, act as the public ambassador for the LTA, chair meetings of the LTA Council, as well as the Annual General Meeting.
The members also approved the abolition of the role of Honorary Treasurer with effect from 1 January 2013, now that the LTA has become a company limited by guarantee, thereby bringing the LTA into line with other sporting national governing bodies. The majority of the Honorary Treasurer’s current duties will be absorbed into the role of the Finance Director, and the work of the Audit Committee.
The term of office for Board members elected by the LTA Council to the LTA Board will be extended from two years to three years as from 1 January 2013.
The proposal to limit the number of Council members representing Counties or National Associations to one per County or Association was also approved as was the proposal for one combined representative for the Armed Services, both of which take effect from 1 January 2014.
Many of these recommendations were first proposed in the LTA’s Council Reform Project Group Report in 2008, and help to bring the LTA in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code, which sets out principles on how companies should be directed and controlled, as well as the Sport Recreation Alliance Code of Good Corporate Governance.