About Us
CONSTITUTION
1. NAME
The name of the Society (“the Society”) shall be The Hellenic Engineers’ Society of Great Britain.
2. OBJECTS
(i) To promote professional and social contact amongst members of the Society;
(ii) To provide an opportunity for members to meet and discuss social and professional matters including, but not exclusively, in connection with the maritime industry;
(iii) To maintain and improve the status of the engineering profession and to afford suitable facilities to members to improve their knowledge of their profession including, but not exclusively, in the field of maritime industry;
(iv) To organise and promote social, cultural and intellectual events.
3. QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP
All persons who meet the criteria hereunder, with only exception as stipulated in Clause 4 (iii) may qualify for membership:
(i) are of Hellenic origin
(ii) are or have been resident or worked actively within the United Kingdom
(iii) have formal engineering training (either as a graduate or certified sea-going engineer) or who in exceptional circumstances merit the Governing Committee’s approval of membership status as a result of their practical experience:
4. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be divided into four categories:
(a) Founding Members: Persons who have worked towards the goal of forming the Society shall be named Founding Members in recognition of their endeavour. Founding Members shall enjoy the same rights as other Members and all qualifying members registered as at 31st October 1995 shall be considered as Founding Members.
(b) Full Members: Persons who fulfil the criteria stated in Clause (3) and are elected according to the rules of the Society.
(c) Associate Members: Persons who do not fulfil one or more of the criteria stated in Clause (3), but who nevertheless wish to partake in the Society’s activities.
(d) Honorary Members: Honorary Members shall be elected by a majority decision of the Governing Committee of the Society on the grounds of outstanding contribution to the Society. They shall be exempt from requirements of annual subscription and enjoy all privileges of membership. In addition they shall be invited to join the Governing Committee as Special Advisers/Mentors.
5. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS
(i) Application for membership must be submitted to the Governing Committee of the Society for approval and every candidate for membership shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another member. Members proposing and seconding shall themselves be members of the Society for a minimum of 3 months. Applications must be presented on the Society’s standard application form.
(ii) Members of the Society with the exception of “Honorary Members” shall pay an Annual Subscription in advance of each year of membership in such amount and at such time as shall be determined by the Governing Committee from time to time.
6. RESIGNATION
A member desiring to withdraw from the Society must give notice in writing to the Secretary and this shall be received on or before the 31st day of October in any year otherwise the subscription for the ensuing calendar year shall be payable.
7. EXPULSION
The G overning Committee shall have the power to expel any member who shall offend against the rules of the Society or whose contact shall in the opinion of the majority of the Governing Committee render him unfit for membership of the Society. Before any such member is expelled the Secretary shall give him/her twenty one
(21) days written notice to attend a meeting of the Governing Committee and shall inform him/her of the complaints made against him/her. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the governing committee and answering the complaints made against them nor unless at least a simple majority of the Governing Committee then present vote in favour of their expulsion. No member whose membership has been terminated under this rule or who owes money to the Society shall be introduced by any other member as a visitor to any function of the Society.
8. ADMINISTRATION
(i) The affairs of the Society shall be administered by the Governing Committee. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Governing Committee shall have full and unfettered power to do all acts and things necessary or expedient for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Society, including setting of annual membership fee.
(ii) The Governing Committee shall consist of a President, Deputy President, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer (the “Officers”) and a minimum of six (6) / maximum of nine (9) other Members. It is at the discretion of the Governing Committee to enlarge its membership by appointing additional Deputy Presidents, Deputy Secretaries and Deputy Treasurers if it deems so necessary.
(iii) The Governing Committee shall meet and otherwise regulate its meetings as it may see fit and seven (7) members of the Governing Committee shall form a quorum. Members are considered as participants of such a meeting, either when physically or virtually present or represented by proxy.
(iv) The decisions of the Governing Committee shall be on a simple majority basis and in the case of equality of votes the President shall have the deciding vote. In the case of the absence of the President, the presiding Deputy President shall have the deciding vote.
(v) Election to the Governing Committee shall be by vote at each second or subsequent (subject to a ¾ majority decision of the Governing Committee) Annual General Meeting of the members of the Society there present who shall have been members for not less than five (5) days previously. The Governing Committee shall retire immediately before the vote at this Annual General Meeting but the members of the Governing Committee shall be eligible for re-election. The Governing Committee shall vote the appointed “Officers” from its members.
(vi) The Governing Committee shall have the power to appoint a member to fill any occurring vacancy on the Committee. The vacant position will be filled by the next candidate member in order of the number of votes received at the last election and such member will serve for the remaining term of office of the Governing Committee and shall be eligible for re-election as the remaining Governing Committee members.
(vii)
(a) The Governing Committee shall have the power to speak on behalf of and represent the members of the Society and shall be the official voice of the Society. No individual member of the Society or of the Governing Committee shall seek to represent the views or opinions of the Society without the prior authority of the Governing Committee save for matters of detail or record which have already been publicised or endorsed by the Governing Committee.
(b) No press releases or statements shall be issued on behalf of the Society without the prior approval of the Governing Committee save where this is not both reasonably practicable and the subject matter
of such press releases or statements relate to matters of detail or record or already agreed upon for publication or already publicised or endorsed by the Governing Committee.
9. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held during the first quarter of each year on a date and at a time to be determined by the Governing Committee for the following purposes:
(i) to receive from the Governing Committee a report, balance sheet and statement of accounts for the preceding financial year and an estimate of the receipts and expenditure for the current financial year;
(ii) to elect the members of the Governing Committee (biannually or as per Clause 8 (v));
(iii) to decide on any resolution which may be submitted to the meeting in the manner provided below.
10. NOMINATION FOR ELECTIONS TO THE GOVERNING COMMITTEE
(i) Any member (other than retiring members offering themselves for re- election) desirous of being elected to the Governing Committee shall submit his/her name in writing to the Secretary not less than twenty (20) days before the date fixed for the election;
(ii) Such member must have been a member during the one (1) month immediately preceding the date fixed for the election and must be proposed and seconded by two (2) other members who themselves have been members during the one (1) month immediately preceding the date fixed for this election.
11. NOTICE OF BUSINESS
Any member desirous of moving a resolution at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice in writing to the Secretary not later than twenty (20) days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting and the Secretary shall give notice to the members of such intention not less than ten (10) days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
12. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
The Governing Committee may at any time for any special purpose call a Special General Meeting and shall do so immediately upon the request in writing of one-fifth of the total membership of the Society entitled to vote stating the purposes for which the meeting is required.
13. CONVENING GENERAL MEETINGS
At all general meetings of the Society the President or in his/her absence the Deputy President shall take the chair. Every member present shall be entitled to one (1) vote upon every motion and in the case of an equality of votes the President or in his/her absence the Deputy President shall hold the deciding vote. The Governing Committee shall be empowered if it deems fit to develop regulations enabling members unable to be present to vote by proxy or digitally. Unless as otherwise provided herein all motions or resolutions shall be decided upon on a simple majority basis.
14. QUORUM
The quorum at all general meetings shall be not less than 15 % of the Society’s membership. Members are considered as participants of such a meeting, either when physically or virtually present or represented by proxy.
15. FINANCIAL YEAR
The financial year of the society shall end on the 31st day of December in each year to which date the accounts of the Society will be balanced.
16. VISITORS
Every member shall be empowered to introduce visitors to the Society’s social or educational events subject to such regulations as shall be made from time to time by the Governing Committee and every visitor shall be considered the guest of and be accompanied by the member introducing him provided that no person shall be introduced as a visitor into the Society who shall have been expelled from membership or whose conduct or presence at any function or meeting of the Society shall be considered by the Committee objectionable or prejudicial to the interests of the Society.
17. MEMBERS’ CONTACT DETAILS
Every member shall be responsible for communicating to the Secretary their current contact details.
19. AMENDMENT OF RULES
These rules may be added to, repealed or amended by resolution at any Annual or Special General Meeting provided that any such resolution shall be carried by a majority of at least three-quarters of the members present and voting on such resolution.
20. INDEMINTY
Neither the Officers nor the Members of the Governing Committee shall be liable for any loss suffered by the society as a result of the discharge of their respective duties on its behalf (except where such loss results from their wilful neglect or default) and they shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the Society for all expenses and other liabilities incurred by them in the discharge of their respective duties.
21. WINDING-UP
The Society may be dissolved by a three-quarters majority of members voting at an Annual or Special General meeting of the Society. If a motion for the dissolution of the Society is to be proposed at an Annual or Special General Meeting the motion shall be referred to specifically when advance notice of the meeting is given. In the event of the dissolution of the Society any funds available shall be transferred to a charity or Charities to be chosen by the outgoing Governing Committee.
22. MEMBERSHIP FEES
Members who are in full time education, under twenty five (25) or over sixty five (65) years of age will be exempt from requirements of annual subscription .
Signed in London February 6th 1996 and amended on March 9th 2000, May 7th 2009, June 19th 2014 and January 29th 2025.
Endorsed by the incoming Governing Committee of 2025-2027 on January 31st 2025.