At The LSL Group, we focus on supporting a wide range of clients within the membership sector. CEOs from membership organisations have consistently raised with me the challenges associated with historic and outdated governance in their organisations, and specifically their desire for their organisations to bring greater independent thinking and skills to their boards through the introduction of appointed non-members. The advantages of greater diversity on Boards and particularly cognitive diversity are well-documented yet many membership organisations have yet to fully grasp or even to instigate the opportunity to modernise their governance structures.
We have been working with the board of The Association for Project Management (APM) in supporting and accelerating their journey into a modern professional membership body through a highly tailored Trustee recruitment programme. This has resulted in three independent Trustees being appointed to the board with specific skills and experiences to complement those of the member-elected Board Trustees.
This is an excellent case study which could be valuable to other membership organisations who are on the governance transformation journey.
Adam Boddison, CEO (Adam Boddison – LinkedIn) at APM kindly offered to provide his experience of the journey and outcome of the transition to a modern, professional and balanced Board.
In an environment defined by rapid change, rising professional expectations and increasing regulatory complexity, governance can either become a constraint or a catalyst. For the Association for Project Management (APM), governance has been consciously shaped to be a source of momentum. It is progressive, enabling and firmly focused on impact. It is therefore unsurprising that over the past four years APM has experienced significant growth, with revenue increasing by 76% from £10.1m in 2021 to £17.8m in 2025.
Over recent years, APM has evolved its governance model to reflect how a modern professional body should operate. This includes retaining its member-led ethos, whilst removing unnecessary layers of bureaucracy that slow down decision-making and dilute accountability. The result is a governance framework that not only supports effective stewardship, but actively accelerates organisational progress over time.
From complexity to clarity: a unitary Board model
A defining feature of APM’s governance evolution was the move away from a traditional Membership Council model with multiple layers of oversight, towards a single, unitary Board of Trustees. This structure aligns with typical practice in the charity sector and provides greater clarity around accountability, authority and strategic direction.
By reducing duplication and shortening decision-making pathways, the Board is able to respond more quickly and confidently in a fast-moving operating environment. Strategic change no longer needs to navigate a complex governance maze. Instead, it is debated, refined and authorised within a single forum that brings together the full breadth of oversight responsibility. This has materially strengthened APM’s ability to act decisively while remaining robustly governed.
Reframing leadership roles for greater effectiveness
Another important shift has been the reframing of the President and Vice President roles. At APM, these positions are now explicitly ambassadorial rather than governance roles. Appointed by the Board but not sitting on it, they are free to focus on advocacy, influence and external engagement without the potential conflicts that can arise when ceremonial and fiduciary responsibilities overlap.
This approach removes the tension that can sometimes emerge in professional bodies between the President and the Chair of the Board. Tensions that too often fall to the CEO to resolve, distracting them from their primary role in running the organisation. APM’s current President, Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE, was appointed from outside the project profession, so she brings fresh perspectives and a professional credibility that have been warmly welcomed by members. The result is a leadership ecosystem where roles are clearly defined, complementary and mutually reinforcing.
In keeping with its modern outlook, APM has also moved away from rigid, time-bound terms for some of its key roles. For example, the length of service for Presidents and Vice Presidents is determined by the Board and can be renewed where appropriate. This flexibility recognises the reality of differing personal and professional circumstances, whilst ensuring that those who are making a strong contribution are not forced to step aside before their impact is fully realised.
Such an approach reflects a mature understanding of leadership and governance. It is an approach that prioritises value creation and continuity over arbitrary term limits.
An optimised Board, designed for impact
Evidence from across the governance sector, including guidance from the CGI (Chartered Governance Institute), is clear that Board size matters. Too small, and diversity of thought and expertise suffers. Too large, and effective debate and consensus become increasingly difficult to achieve.
APM has responded by progressively reducing the number of Trustees and is on track to operate with an 11-member Board. This size strikes an effective balance by having a Board that is large enough to encompass a wide range of experience and perspectives, yet small enough to ensure that every Trustee can be heard and fully engaged. Decision-making is now sharper and discussion in the boardroom is more focused. As a result, collective responsibility has been strengthened.
Member-led, whilst drawing on executive and non-executive skillsets
As a membership association, it is both essential and appropriate that APM’s governance remains rooted in its membership. APM’s current model is to have six elected Trustees and five appointed Trustees, which means that the majority of the Board are elected from the membership, whilst also ensuring the Board has access to the skills and insights required to govern a growing, and increasingly influential, professional body.
Elected Trustees preserve the democratic voice of members. Appointed Trustees, selected through a skills-based approach, bring targeted domain expertise and experience from larger professional bodies (typically organisations that APM aspires to learn from and, in time, stand alongside). This blend allows the Board to draw on both lived member experience and hard-won institutional wisdom when making strategic decisions.
One of the challenges of having appointed Trustees is identifying strong candidates with the required skill sets and experiences. This is where the more commercial approach of using external search and recruitment agencies can add significant value. At APM, the LSL Group supported the most recent search for our appointed Trustees and this yielded excellent Board Trustees with executive experience of other professional bodies, including BMA (British Medical Association), CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) and IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology).
Appointing senior executives from other organisations into non-executive roles brings an additional benefit, which is that they understand what it is like to sit on both sides of the boardroom table. This shared experience supports a healthy balance between strategic challenge and operational respect.
At APM, this dynamic is reinforced by a CEO who is also active as a non-executive director elsewhere. Challenge is therefore seen as constructive rather than adversarial, which in turn enables open, transparent and honest conversations. The Board has actively supported the CEO’s professional development in this space, for example by funding access to the Financial Times Level 7 Non-Executive Director programme, which has further strengthened governance capability across the organisation.
Governance excellence beyond the boardroom
Strong governance depends not only on structures, but on expertise. APM benefits from an outstanding Head of Governance, Mike Robinson (Mike Robinson – LinkedIn), who is jointly accountable to the Board and the CEO. Chartered with the CGI, he maintains close alignment with Charity Commission developments and is responsible for APM’s relationship with the Privy Council.
Crucially, Mike’s influence extends beyond compliance. He actively steers and shapes governance thinking across the organisation, ensuring that good practice is embedded, evolving and future-facing.
A culture of continuous improvement
One of the simplest yet most powerful practices at APM is the inclusion of ‘Review of the Meeting’ as a standing agenda item. This creates a deliberate space for reflecting on what worked and what did not. More importantly, it provides an opportunity not just to learn lessons, but to apply them by jointly agreeing to the improvements that will be put into place for the next meeting. By addressing issues quickly and openly, boardroom problems are prevented from becoming entrenched, while effective approaches are intentionally reinforced. This commitment to learning avoids a vicious cycle of poor practices and instead creates a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement that strengthens governance meeting by meeting.
Alongside an exceptional governance function, APM has benefited from exceptional Board leadership over an extended period. For example, during the tenure of the current CEO there have been three highly effective Chairs of Trustees: Debbie Lewis, Milla Mazilu, and Amy Morley. Each fully embodied the values of APM and has ensured that governance remains not only effective, but increasingly impactful over time.
Together, these elements demonstrate how a modern professional body can govern itself effectively. Member-led yet nimble, rigorous yet enabling, and always focused on accelerating progress rather than preserving tradition for its own sake. APM’s approach to governance has also received external recognition, including from Nick McCabe at Crowe, who led the most recent external review of governance in 2025.
Making change a reality
For those reading this and thinking about how they might go about making progressive changes to governance in their own organisations, it can be daunting. It may even feel impossible to achieve. In the words of one CEO of a professional body:
“Changing governance in my organisation requires those currently in governance to effectively remove themselves. It’s not just turkeys voting for Christmas. It’s turkeys wrapping themselves in foil and putting themselves in the oven! There’s just no way it will happen”
But the truth is, it can be done. In fact, it has been done in other organisations, including APM. In the end, it will not be a choice. A modern membership association and professional body needs a progressive governance structure to be effective. Without this, one has to question how such organisations will survive in such a complex and fast-moving operating environment. So which battle will you choose to fight? Today’s battle for more progressive governance? Or tomorrow’s battle for continued existence of the organisation?
If you are interested in exploring how you might modernise your governance and bring independent Trustees or non-executive directors to your Board and you would like to discuss this in confidence, please contact David Sneesby, CEO of The LSL Group at david.sneesby@thelslgroup.com.
