Welcome to the May ebulletin.

At our recent Board Meeting on 13 May 2016, we welcomed our newly elected and appointed Board Members who bring fresh perspectives and new experience to our team. Over recent weeks, a Board Induction process has been taking place, with Members attending sessions introducing them to their governance role and ARB’s regulatory remit and statutory mandate. You can read more about our new Board Members in this ebulletin.

The Board is assisted by a number of committees that carry out work on its behalf, and at its May meeting the Board agreed the proposed Committee Membership which capitalises on the skills, expertise and experience of new and existing Members.

Prudent financial management is a key element of the Board’s oversight role and, in this regard, we agreed the 2015 audited accounts. We acknowledged that the financial outturn was due to a range of factors including a significant increase in the number of new admissions to the Register and exam applications, as well as an underspend on staffing costs. The Board will continue to monitor these factors to ensure planning incorporates future resource requirements. The Board also noted the Annual Report from the Audit Committee which detailed the Committee’s work. This report included a positive finding from the internal auditors in relation to those of ARB’s processes which were reviewed during the previous 12 months. The Audit Committee plays an important role in monitoring risk and ensuring processes, procedures and systems of internal control remain robust and resilient.

The Board also welcomed the attendance of Julian Weinberg, the Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC), at its May meeting. Mr Weinberg presented the 2015 annual report of the PCC and answered questions on the Committee’s work.

Looking forward, we await the outcome of the government’s periodic review into the regulation of architects, which we anticipate will be published in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we continue to deliver business as usual providing, and improving, our services to the growing Register and our wider stakeholders.

Please take a few minutes to read through this ebulletin which introduces you to our new Board Members and updates you on our recent work.