TERMS OF REFERENCE  – BOARD OF ADVISORY 2024 – 2026

UN GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK AUSTRIA

Board of Advisors

GCN Austria has a Board of Advisors that are constituted by representatives of participants and other stakeholders within the country and that provide advice to the Secretariat

Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of the Board of Advisors are:

• Provide input and advice to the GCN Secretariat on strategic matters related to GCN Austria and the UNGC in Austria;
• Provide strategic advice to the GCN Secretariat on emerging issues around implementation of the Ten Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals in Austria;
• Provide input and feedback to the development of the GCN Austria’s annual work plan, including KPIs and targets;
• Review GCN Austria’s progress on a regular basis and provide input and advice for improvements;
• Advocate for UNGC and the Ten Principles. Support and amplify outreach campaigns of UNGC and GCN Austria and provide other forms of support for recruitment of new participants

Composition

• GCN Austria has a Board of Advisors with 9-11 seats;
• GCN Austria reserves one seat on the Board of Advisors for a representative of the UN in Vienna and one seat for a representative of the Austrian Government. The Board of Advisors also has up to 3 seats reserved for other non-business organisations or independent members. The GCN ED will in consultation with the current Board of Advisors identify one or several candidates for each of the available seats. The Secretariat will communicate the list of nominations to GCO in order for GCO to check if it has engaged with any   of   the   candidates   under   its   Integrity   Measures   and   the   GCN   Secretariat   will   conduct   local   due diligence following GCO’s guidance on due diligence for high-level engagements. The GCN ED will reach out to the relevant candidates with an invitation to join the Board of Advisors for the upcoming term.
• The remaining seats on the Board of Advisors will be reserved for UNGC business participants. At any given time, the majority of members of the Board of Advisors should represent business participants or other business organizations
• An employee of a company that is (a) not a Global Compact Participant or (b) of a company that is a Global Compact Participant not in good standing (i.e. not holding an Active status due to failure to submit an annual Communication on Progress or making the required financial contribution on time) shall not be on the Board of Advisors;
• In the event of a Vacancy, the GCN ED may, in consultation with the Board of Advisors and upon approval by GCO, invite a replacement for the period up until the next General Assembly.
• An effort shall be made by the Secretariat to achieve gender diversity in the Board composition; Similarly, an effort should be made to achieve diversity in terms of for example skills and representation

Term Length

The term for each Board Members is 2 years. Any individual can be part of the Board of Advisors for a maximum of 3 terms (total of six years)

Nomination & Election Process

For the composition of Board of Advisors for the first 2 year term under the new structure and statutes, starting 1 January, 2024, the following process applies:

• Two (2) of the UNGC business member seats will be reserved for members of the 2023 GCN Austria Board, upon invitation by GCO, in order to guarantee a successful transition to the new GCN Austria structure
• An open call for nominations for four (4) business participants seats was launched to business participants during the GCN Austria at the General Assembly in November 20st, 2023
• The application process is open from 21st of November until the 4th of December 2023
• Participants are asked to submit their Nomination, sending (1) the completed Nomination Form and (2) CV to s.weniger@globalcompact.at
• All nominees for the Board of Advisors will be reviewed against a skills matrix to ensure that nominees have  required  expertise   in   one   of   the   UNGC   programme   focus   areas   (Environment,   Social Sustainability, Governance, Sustainable Finance & SDG Integration)  and  desired  expertise related to Legal & Regulatory; Accounting & Finance; Human Resources; Communications &; Marketing; Stakeholder Relations; Strategic Planning or Membership engagement
• The Secretariat will review nominees to make sure   that   individuals   are   of   good   standing,   have   the   necessary   time   and   resources   to   carry   out   their responsibilities, and to determine any potential conflicts of interest to them serving on the Board of Advisors
• The Secretariat will communicate the list of nominations to GCO in order for GCO to check if it has engaged with any of the candidates under its Integrity Measures and the GCN Secretariat will conduct local due diligence following GCO’s guidance on due diligence for high-level engagements
• Based on the nominations and the results of the due diligence process, the GCN ED will in consultation with the Board develop a list of preferred Board members. Every effort will be made to create a list that secures the appropriate mix of skills, experience, and diversity
• Selection will be made by the Executive Director, in consultation with the existing Board. Approval will be made by GCO.
• The Advisory Board will be in tenure from 1 January 2024

Nastassja Cernko (OeKB – Oesterreichische Kontrollbank, Gruppenleitung Nachhaltigkeit, Projektanalysen und Strategie)

Andrea Edelmann (EVN AG, Leiterin Innovation Nachhaltigkeit und Umweltschutz)

Ulrike Gehmacher (Immofinanz AG, Head of Group ESG)

Karin Huber-Heim (FH des BFI Wien, Wissenschaftliche Leitung Sustainability und Sustainable Finance)

Peter Eitzenberger (VBV-Gruppe, CSR Manager und Leiter Vertrieb & Kundenkommunikation)

Daniela Knieling (respACT – austrian business council for sustainable development, Geschäftsführerin)

Gunter Schall (ADA – Austrian Development Agency, Leiter Wirtschaft und Entwicklung)

Gabriela Straka (Brau Union Österreich AG, Director Corporate Affairs Communication & CR, Mitglied der Geschäftsführung)

Martin Wesian (Helioz GmbH, Geschäftsführer)