Would you consider standing for election to the SMP Board?

In keeping with best practice, gaps in the composition of the Board are identified through annual review of current composition prior to the AGM. Three key questions are considered:

• Does the Board have the necessary technical skills, experience and expertise to undertake its duties?
• Is the Board broadly representative of the membership it represents?
• Is the Board sufficiently diverse?

This year the Board has identified several important gaps which it needs to fill and therefore especially welcomes applications from those with experience in:

• Finance: We are especially keen to recruit a Trustee with finance and accounting experience to join the Audit and Finance Committee and consider replacing Claire Martin, who is standing down as Committee Chair.
• Income generation: It is important that we diversify our income and reduce our reliance on the core governmental grant. We really encourage those with experience in income diversification, including accessing grant funding, to stand for election.
• Youth and Schools: school partnerships remain a key part of the SMP so we are keen to encourage nominations from those involved in school links.
• Legal experience and safeguarding: to ensure the SMP remains legally compliant, we welcome nominations from those with legal experience. Safeguarding also remains a crucial priority for SMP and we would be pleased to attract a Trustee with professional safeguarding expertise who could help lead the sector by good example.
• Smaller NGO/ community links: We hope to continue to have representatives of smaller organisations working with Malawi on the Board.

Of course, most individuals have a range of skills, many of which could be useful to SMP and which go way beyond what is listed here. It is however important to remember that being a Trustee carries responsibilities and often, talents and skills can be used to support SMP in other ways than on the Board.

The Constitution of the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SCIO) allows for a Board of up to 16 Directors, but can have as few as 6. A term of office for a Trustee is three years, after which they must stand down but are welcome to stand for re-election should they wish, on an equal basis with those standing for the first time.

Trustees can serve for a maximum of three consecutive terms of office, each of up to three years. After this, Trustees will be eligible for re-election again after a gap of at least one year.

Full details about the existing 16 Directors, going into the AGM, is available HERE:


1. Prof Heather Cubie (Chair)

2. Ms Claire Martin (Co-Vice Chair) *

3. Mr Douglas Young (Co-Vice Chair)

4. Ms Susan Dalgety (Co-Vice Chair)

5. Ms Fiona Anderson *

6. Ms Chimwemwe Dorey *

7. Prof Andrew Goudie*

8. Dr Rachel Phillips *

9. Mr Tione Mtalimanja

10. Prof Jeremy Bagg

11. Prof John Briggs

12. Mr Gift Thompson

13. Dr Blessings Kachale

14. Mr Davie Luhanga

15. Dr Tracy Morse

16. Ms Emma Wood


* Directors marked with an asterisk are standing down at the AGM


We are keen to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all those who are standing down at the 2022 AGM.


Claire Martin is our longest serving Board member, having been elected in 2014, 2017 and 2020. She was an active Youth Member, dating back to her school link with Malawi when she was elected and quickly became indispensable, not least on the Audit and Finance Committee which she has chaired for a number of years.

Fiona Anderson has given endless energy and drive, representing school and community links so well, as being an essential part of Dunblane’s brilliant links with Likhubula. Like all those standing down, she will be sorely missed.

Chimwemwe Dorey is perhaps best known to members as one of the two co-hosts of our excellent ‘People to People’ podcast, in which she interviewed dozens of activists and stakeholders, from primary school teachers to the President of Malawi!

Prof Andrew Goudie, as former Chief Economic Adviser both for DFID and the Scottish Government, Andrew has brought considerable expertise and government insight. He has been, and remains, a great friend of Malawi and the SMP.

Dr Rachel Phillips has longstanding links and friendships with Malawi and has been a delight to have on the Board and on the Audit and Finance Committee – always asking just the right questions and with valuable insight and ideas.

A big thank you to Claire, Fiona, Chimwemwe, Andrew and Rachel for all you time, effort, energy and expertise.

Douglas Young is also completing his three-year term as a Trustee in 2022, reaching the maximum of 9 years’ service without a break. However, there are important recruitment processes underway which require business continuity and the Board has requested that Douglas, in his role as Chair of the HR Committee, stays on as a Trustee for a maximum of one more year. This change to usual practice will require a special resolution to be presented at the AGM and on which a vote will be taken.

The SMP is committed to diversity and inclusivity, and hence we are keen to maintain a good gender, age and diversity balance on the Board.

At present the Board currently has:

• 8 males and 8 females
• 9 Scots and 5 Malawians
• Ages range from 20s to 70s, with 7 under 50 and 9 over 50

If you would like to nominate yourself, you should:

1. Read all of this webpage
2. Read this Information Pack for Prospective Trustees
3. Secure a proposer and a seconder from the membership (if you are struggling with this, please contact david@scotland-malawipartnership.org for support
4. Be committed to joining 2-hour Board meetings every eight weeks
5. Complete this nomination form and email to david@scotland-malawipartnership.org with a photo of yourself by 9am, 17th November.

• 9am, Thursday 17th November: Deadline for nominations to be received by the SMP (we will acknowledge receipt).
• Friday 18th November: We will hopefully then get details of the applicants to the membership. There will then be a 6-day window for those not able to attend the AGM to vote remotely.
• 9am, Thursday 24th November: Deadline for remote voting.
• 26th November: At the AGM, those eligible to vote (and who haven’t already voted remotely) will be able to vote in the first half of the Annual Gathering so, hopefully, we can announce the results by the ‘Core Business’ section, having collated both in-person and remote votes.