ICAEW Council Elections FAQs

Any member whose primary address is in a geographical election constituency as of the Qualifying Date is eligible to stand, vote, and nominate a candidate in that constituency. In addition, members who are registered and confirmed as part of a specified Faculty or Community on the Qualifying Date are eligible to stand, nominate, and vote in the corresponding non-geographical constituency.

The Qualifying Date for the 2025 Council Elections was Friday 6 June 2025. Your election constituency or constituencies are specified in 'My Details' on your member profile.

• Check your eligibility: Ensure you are eligible to stand in any of the constituencies listed in the election notice. You must have a 10-year clean ICAEW disciplinary record. If eligible, read the Council Member Role Profile to understand the role and responsibilities of Council members.
• Submit your candidate statement: Complete and submit the candidate statement available on the Council Election Portal on the online nomination site. (You will need to log in to the ICAEW website first).
• Await eligibility confirmation: Your statement will be reviewed to confirm your eligibility. This is typically completed within two working days. Once approved, your name will appear on the Election Portal as a Provisional Candidate.
• Secure nominations: As a Provisional Candidate, you must obtain five nominations from ICAEW members within your constituency. Nominations are submitted via the Election Portal. Please note: current office holders or members of the Governance and Appointments Committee (GAC) cannot act as nominators.
• Meet the deadline: Your candidate statement and all five nominations must be submitted by 12:00 noon (BST) on 23 July 2025.

• 23 July 2025 (12 Noon BST) – Closing date for nominations for elections
• By 30 July 2025 (12 Noon BST) – Completion of Disciplinary Checks
• WC: 4 August 2025 – Returning Officer Committee review of nominations
• WC: 11 August 2025 – Announcement of uncontested election results
• WC: 11 August 2025 – Inform contested candidates of ballot
• 18 August 2025 – Issue of voting papers for contested elections
• 10 September 2025 (12 Noon BST) – Closing date for receipt of voting papers
• 18 September 2025 – Returning Officer Committee review of ballot results and appeals
• 26 September 2025 – Formal announcement of Council election results

You can complete your application via the online nomination system from 17 June 2025 at icaew.com/councilelections.

All candidates must submit a candidate statement in the standard template available on the nominations site. You are advised to complete all sections of the template. If you leave a section blank, it will appear as such in your final statement. There is no word limit, but we suggest 200 words per section as a guide. Brevity is advised to keep the statement effective and focused.

Once a candidate's application is submitted, the Governance Office reviews it to ensure it has been completed correctly. If so, the individual will be confirmed as a Provisional Candidate. The candidate will be notified, and nominators will then be able to submit their nominations via the Election Portal.

Once five valid nominations have been received, the Governance Office will carry out a disciplinary check, including an external background check, to confirm the candidate’s eligibility.

Following the close of the nominations process, the Returning Officer Committee will meet to review all candidacies.

The Returning Officer must not accept any nomination which:

• is incomplete or submitted after the nomination deadline; or
• in the opinion of the Returning Officer Committee, presents a potential conflict of interest so significant that, it may prevent the candidate from fulfilling the role of Council member to the standard reasonably expected by ICAEW members. For further guidance on conflicts of interest, please refer to the Declaration of Interest Policy.

Under the Council Election Regulations, paragraph 38. Each Provisional Candidate shall, on or before the last date for nominations, disclose in writing to the Returning Officer (council.elections@icaew.com), whether within or outside ICAEW any:

1. current criminal proceedings before any court in any jurisdiction;
2. regulatory and/or disciplinary proceeding to which they are subject; and
3. any complaint made against them under the Active Member Conduct Procedure.

The Governance Office will first verify that each candidate belongs to the constituency in which they are standing and check that the candidate statement has been correctly completed. Once this check is complete, the candidate’s name will appear on the nomination site visible to members in that constituency, and they will be designated as a Provisional Candidate.

After the nomination stage closes, a disciplinary check will be carried out to confirm there are no adverse findings in the past 10 years that may disqualify the candidate from standing for Council.

Candidacy will be formally confirmed once the Returning Officer Committee has reviewed and approved the application in full. Candidates will be notified by email once they are officially confirmed as an Approved Candidate.

Each candidate must be supported by five nominators. Nominators must be full ICAEW members, and their registered address must fall within the same constituency as the candidate as of the Qualifying Date (6 June 2025).

Nominations must be submitted via the online nomination system by 12:00 noon (BST) on 23 July 2025. Nominators will need their ICAEW membership number and password to log in and complete the process.

Following the submission of nominations, candidates will be reviewed by the Returning Officer Committee (week commencing Monday, 4 August 2025), following which candidates will be formally confirmed as Approved Candidates.

The Governance Office will notify candidates once this stage is complete.

Your nominators must be registered within the same constituency as you, as of the Qualifying Date (6 June 2025), in order to submit a nomination.

Additionally, once you have submitted your candidacy, the Governance Office will conduct disciplinary checks in accordance with the Council Election Regulations (paragraph 39). These checks can take up to 48 working hours to complete. You will be notified once this process is finished, and your nominators will then be able to view your candidacy on the nomination portal.

No, you can only nominate ONE candidate per geographical constituency even if there are multiple seats available.

The completed application should be received by the Governance Office by 12 (Noon) BST on 23 July 2025.

All rules and guidance can be found in the Council Election Regulations.

All changes and information can be found in the Council Election Regulations.

No, only ICAEW members are eligible to stand, vote, and/or nominate in Council elections.

If the election goes to ballot, voting will open at 12 (Noon) BST on 18 August 2025. Members eligible to vote will receive a voting email.

You will be able to vote online from 12 (Noon) BST on 18 August 2025 to 12 (Noon) GMT on 10 September 2025.

Voting closes at 12 (Noon) BST on 10 September 2025.

ICAEW will confirm results of the election to candidates by email. Results will also be published on icaew.com/councilelections on 26 September 2025

Council members are expected to attend all Council meetings. To give an indication of the time commitment, in 2025 Council meetings will take place on:

• 23 January (virtual)
• 26 February (virtual)
• 25 & 26 March
• 29 April (virtual)
• 30 May (virtual)
• 3 & 4 June
• 1 July (virtual)
• 10 September (virtual)
• 7 & 8 October
• 13 November (virtual)
• 9 December

In addition to meeting attendance, members should allocate time for pre-reading, preparation, and participation in regular Council briefings. Members may also be asked or may volunteer to join Task and Finish groups or work on specific projects.

New members will receive a comprehensive induction, both before their first Council meeting and throughout their first year, to prepare them for their Council duties. Additionally, they will participate in the ICAEW Council buddying scheme to provide support during their first year in post.

Yes, a Faculty-elected Council member is expected to join the Faculty Board to ensure effective, two-way communication between the Faculty and the Council. This involves attending three to four Faculty Board meetings per year, in addition to the Council meetings listed above and fulfilling the obligations of a Faculty Board member as set out in their Terms of Reference. Please check with your Faculty Board secretary for full details.

Yes, a Community-elected Council member is expected to join the Community Advisory Group to facilitate effective, two-way communication between the Community and the Council. This involves attending approximately four meetings per year of the Community Advisory Group, as well as the Council meetings listed above.

No, each member may stand for ONE Council seat only.

No, each member can only nominate one candidate in each Election.

Yes, you can vote in each constituency of which you are a member at the Qualifying Date (Friday 6 June 2025)