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Visit Britain - board members
The Department for Culture Media and Sport would like to invite applications for 3 Board Members to the VisitBritain board.
Time Commitment
2 days per month on average. The time commitment includes 7 annual board meetings and a Strategy and Business Planning Day.
Location of Meetings
The majority of meetings will be held in VisitBritain’s offices which are about to relocate from Hammersmith to Victoria, London SW1; one meeting is held in Wales and one in Scotland, both of which involve overnight stays. Assistance will be offered to ensure that a candidate with disabilities would be able to attend meetings.
Remuneration
Remuneration of £9,435 is offered. Reasonable and properly documented expenses incurred as a result of Board work will be reimbursed. The posts are not pensionable.
Term of Appointment
The appointments are for up to five years, probably starting around the end of 2009.
Closing Date
The closing date for applications is Friday 13 November 2009.
Background
Tourism is one of the UK’s key industries – the value of inbound and domestic tourism to the UK economy exceeds £86 billion per year. The opportunity exists to build significantly on this success as we prepare to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012. VisitBritain’s remit is to maximise the contribution of tourism to the UK economy, by marketing Great Britain to the rest of the world as an attractive tourist and business destination.
In October 2007 the then Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport requested VisitBritain to lead an industry-wide review to determine how VisitBritain should work with strategic partners and industry to deliver key outcomes namely: marketing Britain overseas; Marketing England at home and overseas; supporting the development of national tourism policies and the resolution of key national tourism issues; and securing the tourism benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The review focussed on maximising the impact of current funding for VisitBritain (and VisitEngland) whilst creating structures, process and platforms to optimise the amount of tourism funding that is devolved to other public agencies. It also aimed to remove duplication, improve alignment and clarify responsibilities so that public funds could be spent in the most effective manner and to maximise its impact by attracting more private sector funds for partnership programmes.
This review became known as the British Tourism Framework review which proposed a ten-point strategy or stakeholders to follow individually and collectively.
•Read the review online on the VisttBritain website (External PDF)
VisitBritain is now focussing on these ten points in developing its strategy for the forthcoming three years. You can read the response from DCMS on this website.
The Role
Board members assist the Chairman in ensuring that VisitBritain can effectively
•Champion Britain overseas as a visitor destination and support the effectiveness of VisitBritain’s network of nearly 40 overseas offices which provide services to strategic partners and industry
•Achieve alignment and coordination across an extensive network of key stakeholders, particularly the national tourist boards and regional bodies, the Devolved Administrations, tourism industry leaders and industry representative organisations
•Work with Visit London and VisitEngland and its counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to capitalise on the opportunities presented in the run-up to London 2012 and beyond across the UK
•Continue to evolve its own strategic response to the ten-point strategy proposed in the British Tourism Framework review.
The People
The successful candidates will be able to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and understanding in one or more of the following areas, preferably gained in the tourism and hospitality sector:
•Competitiveness, performance and productivity issues affecting UK tourism and the political context in which it operates
•Application of web-based technology
•International marketing
One of the new board members will be required to chair the Audit Committee, and for this role an appropriate level of audit experience will be essential, along with one of the above specialisms. Additionally, the successful candidates must all demonstrate a high level of knowledge and understanding of:
•The roles and interests of the Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales and the relevant national tourist boards, and England including London and the English regions, and other stakeholders.
•The differing demands of the public and private sectors
Candidates must be clear about any potential for conflicts of interest between this role and their own professional activity, and be able to work with DCMS to manage such a conflict if it arose.
Supporting Information
The Board of VisitBritain is appointed by the Secretary of State in consultation with the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government. Further information on VisitBritain corporate website.
VisitBritain and DCMS aspire to diversity in public appointments and operate an equal opportunities policy. Appointments are made on merit and are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
To apply
Application packs are available from Heather Batchelor:
Heather.Batchelor@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7211 2308
Closing Date
The closing date for applications is Friday 13 November 2009.
(Interviews for shortlisted candidates are intended to be held on 7 & 9 December)
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