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Our governance

The RSPCA is governed by a Board of Trustees who are responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity and for the effective delivery of its charitable objects. The Board consists of up to nine Elected Trustees and up to three Co-opted Trustees. Day-to-day leadership of the organisation is undertaken by an executive team, led by the Chief Executive.

Nominations for election to the RSPCA Board of Trustees 2025

Each year one-third of the Board’s nine Elected Trustees are required under the RSPCA Rules to retire by rotation and an election process is carried out. This year Kevin Degenhard, Stuart Howells and Mark Wright will retire from the Board. Retiring Trustees may be eligible to stand for re-election subject to the Rules which include maximum terms of office.

The recruitment process to become an Elected Trustee starts with the Nomination Stage. This Stage involves eligible candidates nominating themselves (“applying”) to stand for election to the role. They do this by completing a Nomination Form and submitting it to the Society’s independent scrutineers in the manner and time frames stipulated within the Nomination Pack.

Any RSPCA member can nominate themselves for election as long as they meet the qualifying criteria. In particular, candidates must have been an RSPCA member for a continuous period of at least 12 months immediately preceding 30 April 2025 (there are some other exceptions so please refer to the Nomination Pack for more details). Applicants will also need the support of 2 eligible members. 

Once due diligence checks are complete, the RSPCA membership will vote on which nominees to elect to the Board. Successful candidates will be appointed for a three year term commencing at the conclusion of the Society’s AGM on 11 October 2025. 

The Nomination Stage for this year's elections opened on Tuesday 1 April 2025.

If you are considering applying to become an RSPCA Trustee you can request a Nomination Pack by emailing elections@rspca.org.uk or writing to; The Returning Officer, RSPCA, Legal Services, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1GY. Should you have any queries, please do contact us. 

The Nomination Stage closes at 3pm on Wednesday 30 April 2025. Nominations received after this time will not be accepted.

Find out more