21 January 2026

British Marine is seeking to strengthen its Board through the appointment of two Non-Executive Directors, bringing additional depth of experience and capability to support the organisation’s strategic priorities.

As a membership organisation, British Marine is committed to identifying potential Board Directors from within its membership and wider industry. Members are therefore invited to put themselves forward where they believe they meet the experience required.

We are looking for committed individuals with a passion for the marine industry and welcome applications from a wide range of members – we want to actively encourage individuals from all backgrounds.

Board Appointments – Approach and Expectations

The Board is taking a targeted, skills-led approach to these appointments. This reflects:

• The increasing complexity of the organisation
• The need for deeper, senior-level experience at Board level
• A commitment to ensuring the Board has the right balance of skills to support future growth

These are strategic, non-executive roles, intended to strengthen the Board’s overall effectiveness. Candidates are expected to demonstrate sound, senior leadership or board-level experience aligned to the role profiles below.

Non-Executive Director position 1 - Membership Growth & Proposition

Purpose of the Role
To strengthen the Board with deep experience of membership-led organisations, bringing insight and challenge on membership growth, value, proposition and brand.

Essential Experience
Applicants must be able to demonstrate:

• Senior leadership or board-level experience within a membership, subscription or comparable organisation
• Direct responsibility for membership growth, engagement, retention or value
• Experience of brand development or repositioning in a stakeholder-led environment
• A strong understanding of member value and lifecycle management
• Experience operating within a governance framework and at strategic, non-executive level
   

Highly Desirable

• Experience modernising or scaling a membership organisation
• Digital or data-led membership transformation
• Prior Non-Executive Director or Trustee experience

Non-Executive Director position 2 - Commercial & Sales Leadership

Purpose of the Role
To bring senior commercial leadership and challenge to the Board, supporting British Marine’s financial sustainability, growth and market impact.

Essential Experience
Applicants must be able to demonstrate:

• Executive or board-level leadership experience within a medium to large organisation
• Responsibility for commercial performance, revenue growth or profitability
• Strategic experience in sales and/or marketing leadership
• Strong commercial judgement, including pricing, value propositions and market development
• Experience contributing effectively at Board or Executive Committee level

Highly Desirable

• B2B or complex sales environments
• Multi-revenue or diversified business models
• Experience operating in a minimum sized business of £20 million revenues p.a. and/or 150 employees
• Prior Non-Executive Director experience

Submitting an initial Expression of Interest

Members who believe they meet the warranted experience for one of the above roles are invited to submit:

• A covering note, outlining relevant experience and motivation
• A current CV, clearly demonstrating alignment to the role profile

Expressions of Interest should be submitted by 5.00pm on 4 February 2026 to: jpaterson@britishmarine.co.uk 

Please note, we are unable to consider any applications received after the time and date stated above.

If candidates with the desired experience are not identified, the Board may seek to appoint positions externally. 

Important Information for Applicants

These appointments are made on the basis of skills, experience and Board need, and are not representative positions. Given the seniority of the roles, applicants are encouraged to review the role profiles carefully before applying.

Eligibility

All applicants for the non-executive director positions must be either a shareholder, director, owner or employee of a current British Marine member organisation and must continue to be one of these designations for the duration of their term.  
 
Should such British Marine member organisation cease to be a member of British Marine, then the Member Representative would also cease to be a member of the Group Board. 

Application process

Expressions of interest will be reviewed by the remuneration committee of the main board following receipt by 4 February 2026 and assessed against the skills and experience the Board needs.

A short list will then be drawn up, and selected candidates will be contacted.  As this is an elected appointment there is no formal interview process, but selected candidates will then be asked for the following:

• Completion of a formal application form (which will sent to our British Marine Council pre-election along with the cover letter and CV)
• A short  informal piece to camera where we may ask you to be interviewed briefly on phone camera by one of our team, so that we can then bring to life your application for our Council whilst they make their selection.  We will simply ask you to tell Council why you have put your name forward.

Election process

Non-Executive Directors are appointed by the British Marine Council. Your application papers will form part of the information which will go to all members of British Marine Council, where the appointments will be considered and voted on. Please bear this in mind when completing your application. Successful appointments will then be approved by the British Marine Annual General Meeting, from which point the terms will  begin (expected to be from 17 July 2026).

Term of appointment

Non-Executive Directors are appointed for three years from the British Marine Annual General Meeting, with the possibility of re-election for a further three years if they have served one three-year term.

Short listed candidates will be asked in their application form whether they would be willing (circumstances at the time allowing) to consider in due course stepping forward for the positions of Chair or President of British Marine in which case the terms served can be longer. 

The role

The Board of Directors appointment is for the British Marine Group of companies (the “Group Board”), which is made of the following companies:

1)     British Marine Federation Limited; 
2)     BMF Property Limited; 
3)     Southampton International Boat Show Limited; and 
4)     National Boat Shows Limited (dormant).

The role will involve being at the forefront of British Marine and Boat Shows, and successful applications will have a variety of responsibilities, which will include working with the Executive Team on:

• Setting the strategy and annual business plan for British Marine, including the organisation’s objectives and policies and monitoring performance
• Monitoring financial performance of the organisation and other KPIs
• General oversight of British Marine, its policies and decisions
• Agreeing the Boat Show element of strategy and business plan for promoting and managing our Boat Shows in the UK
• Providing strategic input, making connections and using your skills sets to assist where required

For the full role specification please click here  

Please also note that any successful applicant will be asked to complete formal non-executive director induction training prior to assuming the role.

Successful applicants are asked to give around 12 days of their time a year on a pro bono basis for Board and Council meeting attendance (including advance review of papers). There is the option to serve on the Remuneration Committee of the Board (one meeting per annum) or, from time to time, on ad hoc working groups in which case more time may be needed.

Travel expenses and hotel accommodation will be paid where necessary.

We anticipate that there will continue to be a mix of virtual and physical Board meetings going forward.