Our committees

Committee members

• Jackie Clare, Co-Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Anita McLaughlin, Co-Chair - Blue Badge Guide (Cumbria)
• Rowan Freeland - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• David Poyser - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Kerstin Muller - Blue Badge Guide (South East, South West); Green Badge Guide (Canterbury)
• Carole Hiley - Blue Badge Guide (London) Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Isabel Moore - Blue Badge Guide (London, South West England, South/South East England)

• Manage the Institute’s day-to-day operations, financial management, human resources, accommodation and equipment
• Make recommendations to the Board on issues arising in connection with tourist guiding
• Consider and make recommendations to the Board on proposals from the Treasurer for annual fees, charges and budget
• Monitor and ensure that the Institute’s administrative and financial processes comply with regulatory requirements and current legislation
• Prepare in June of each year a business plan for submission to the Board

Committee members

• Sally Empson, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Isobel Lewis, Vice Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London and Heart of England)
• Hélène Faure, Secretary - Blue Badge Guide (London); Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Rosemary Barnes - Blue Badge Guide (Yorkshire)
• Aaron Hunter - Blue Badge Guide (London); Green Badge Guide (Oxford)
• Pauline Lake - Blue Badge Guide (London); Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Anita McLaughlin - Blue Badge Guide (Cumbria)
• Themis Halvantzi-Stringer - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Isobel Lewis - Blue Badge Guide (London and Heart of England)
• Derry-Anne Hammond - Blue Badge Guide London and South East England); Green Badge Guide (City of London)

Role and remit

• Deal with initial training programme enquiries to the Institute with the Operations Manager:
  • Track the development of these enquiries
  • Maintain a webpage giving information regarding training and accreditation and ensure this is updated regularly
  • Promote Institute qualifications to potential training providers
• Scrutinise submissions for accreditation of training providers, training programmes and qualifications at all levels including endorsements and CPD, and stipulate changes and additions to proposed programmes where necessary
• Make recommendations for the accreditation of training providers and training programmes, for review and endorsement by Qualifications Board and thereafter for decision by the Board of Directors
• Make recommendations concerning the Institute’s Accreditation Criteria and Areas of Qualification at all levels, for review and endorsement by Qualifications Board and thereafter for decision by the Board of Directors
• Negotiate Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) for existing Institute-qualified guides and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• Consider, as required by the Institute, any other training or professional development programmes not falling into the above categories but which may be submitted
• Maintain a flexible and pro-active approach and be aware of current developments in the design and delivery of training programmes
• Oversee training programme (Course) evaluation including the appointment of Institute Visitors and the follow up to their visits (reports, recommendation of any appropriate actions etc)- liaising with Examinations Committee or Qualifications Board where necessary
• Make recommendations to Qualifications Board on the accreditation of individual tourist guide trainers.

In accordance with the appeals procedure laid out in the Institute Bye Laws, considers and deals with appeals received by the Institute in respect of results in Institute examinations

Committee members

• Sam Loveday, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (Heart of England)
• Anita McLaughlin - Blue Badge Guide (Cumbria)
• Shirley Gray - Blue Badge Guide (Northern Ireland)
• Isabel Moore - Blue Badge Guide (London, South West England, South/South East England)
• Myra Morgan - Blue Badge Guide (London); Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Vivienne Robinson - Blue Badge Guide (South West England)
• Helen Smith - Blue Badge Guide (Heart of England)
• Mike Whalley - Blue Badge Guide (London)

Role and Remit

A. Policy

• To implement, monitor and review policy for all Institute examinations except language examinations, and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• To review examination feedback and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• To review, maintain and, where necessary, update the Examinations Handbook

B. Examinations

• Together with the Operations Manager, to ensure the criteria for examinations set by Qualifications Board are met
• To determine procedures for all written and practical examinations for White, Green and Blue Badge examinations
• To determine procedures for endorsement examinations
• To determine the range and timing of information to be provided to candidates
• To consider equivalences in assessment by other awarding bodies and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• To review and monitor reasonable adjustments and special consideration procedures and make recommendations to Qualifications Board

C. Appointment of Examiners

• To facilitate training events for examiners, compilers and moderators
• To consider the accreditation of individual examiners, compilers and moderators who have undertaken a training event and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• To ensure the Institute maintains an up-to-date database of accredited examiners, compilers and moderators
• To recommend Chief and External Examiners for appointment by Qualifications Board
• To appoint all other examiners, compilers and moderators and notify the Chair of Qualifications Board of such appointments

D. To notify Operations Manager of any changes to be made to the Examinations section of the Institute website.

Committee members

• Katherine Alcock, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Marilyn Collis - Blue Badge Guide (London) ; Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Sue Duckworth - Blue Badge Guide (South/South East England); Green Badge Guide (Canterbury)
• Pat Langford - Blue Badge Guide (South East England); Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Josephine Sinclair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Martin Stait - Blue Badge Guide (North East England)
• Anna Gray - Blue Badge Guide (Cumbria)

Role and remit

1. Recruitment

• Approve applications from prospective members with Institute qualifications, or studying for them
• Apply conditions set by the Qualifications Board to the revalidation of qualifications of lapsed members
• Bring applications which require exceptional decisions to the attention of the Qualifications Board or Board of Directors

2. Retention

Support the office’s role on:

• the organisation and management of the annual membership renewal process
• the issue and replacement of photo cards, validation cards and metal badges
• the online databases and the administration of information and documentation relating to membership

3. Communication

• Contribute to the awareness of the Institute and its role among existing and potential members
• Identify the concerns of members, help to resolve them, and bring them to the attention of the Board of Directors as and when required.

In accordance with the Institute's Professional Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure considers and deals with complaints received by the Institute about Institute members and other Institute-accredited tourist guides and the Institute itself

Board members

• Kevin Guinchard, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (Northern Ireland)
• Adrian Clark - Vice-Chair
• Robert Maitland - Professor Emeritus of City Tourism, University of Westminster; Visiting Professor, University of Warsaw
• Keith Wilkes - Professor Emeritus in Tourism Education, Bournemouth University
• Sally Empson - Blue Badge Guide (London), Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Rowan Freeland - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Sam Loveday - Blue Badge Guide (Heart of England)
• Sue Hyde - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Jackie Rolf - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Angus Campbell - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Jackie Clare - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Anita McLaughlin - Blue Badge Guide (Cumbria)

1. To manage the Institute’s qualifications policy.

To monitor and develop professional training policies for ratification by the Board of Directors, including recommendations from the Accreditation, Examination and Language Committees

2. To maintain uniform standards for qualifications at all levels.

• To set criteria for all Institute qualifications and assessments
• To monitor and evaluate the use of reasonable adjustments to these qualifications and assessments to ensure that they they are effective and meet the requirements of the Institute’s current policies
• To consider and, where appropriate, approve recommendations from the Examinations Committee on the appointment of individual Chief Examiners (Blue Badge) External Examiners (Green and White Badges)
• To consider and, where appropriate, approve recommendations from the Examinations Committees concerning assessment equivalences by other awarding bodies
• To consider and, where appropriate, approve recommendations from the Accreditation and Language Committees concerning Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and/or exemptions from assessments
• To consider and, where appropriate, grant to examination candidates Special Consideration
• To receive reports from the Appeals Panel on the outcome of all submissions
• To consider and respond – through the Board’s Chair - to complaints related to professional training and examination issues and make recommendations to the Board of Directors where necessary

3. To award Institute qualifications

• To consider and ratify the results of examinations at all Levels presented by Chief and External Examiners
• To ensure satisfactory processes for the notification to programme directors and to candidates individually of their results
• To review regularly and monitor all related procedures

4. To receive and consider reports from the Accreditation, Examinations and Language Committees

• To review and endorse recommendations to the Board of Directors from the Accreditation Committee in respect of the accreditation of training courses at all levels
• To approve recommendations from the Accreditation Committee on the appointment of individual tourist guide trainers
• To approve recommendations from the Examinations Committee for the appointment of individual compilers and examiners

5. Website maintenance

To ensure the relevant sections of the Institute’s website for qualifications and entries are updated regularly

6. Membership

Membership of the Qualifications Board shall consist of Institute members, the Chairs of the Accreditation, Examinations and Language Committees, and such external representatives from the educational and tourism sectors as the Board of Directors determines. The President and/or the Deputy President are ex officio members.

Committee members

• David Poyser, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Marilyn Collis, Institute Past President - Blue Badge Guide (London), Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Jackie Clare, Institute Co-President - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Edwin Lerner - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Katie Alcock - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Cheryl Zhao - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Ann Carr - Blue Badge Guide (Heart of England and London)

• Management, production and coordination of Institute communications
• Response to media enquiries
• Maintain social media presence
• Service information needs of core audiences including membership, travel and tourism industry, visitor economy stakeholders.

Committee members

• Sue Hyde, Chair - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Tatyana Firth, Deputy Chair - Blue Badge Guide (South East)
• Carole Hiley - Blue Badge Guide (London) Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Maria Morote - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Julia Huber - Blue Badge Guide (London), Green Badge Guide (City of London)
• Victoria Bentata - Green Badge Guide (Oxford)
• Petra Herrmann - Blue Badge Guide (Northern Ireland)
• Cheryl Zhao - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Jennifer Basannavar - Blue Badge Guide (London)
• Anne Roberts - Blue Badge Guide (Heart of England), Green Badge Guide (Oxford)

A. Policy

• Monitor and review policy for assessment of second language proficiency and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• Monitor and review policy regarding assessment of language ability of candidates who claim to be bilingual
• Maintain and update relevant sections of Examinations Handbook
• Consider requests for Language Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)/exemptions from assessment and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• Inform training providers and programme directors of Institute language examination policy

B. Examinations

• With the Operations Manager, ensure the criteria for language examinations set by Qualifications Board are met
• Provide language examinations as necessary and as required by the Board of Directors and in liaison with the Operations Manager
• Provide language examination services and certified language ratings for members of the Wales Official Tourist Guides Association.
• Make recommendations to Qualifications Board on the award of language qualifications
• Consider equivalences in assessment by other awarding bodies and make recommendations to Qualifications Board
• Ensure the Institute maintains an up-to-date database of language qualifications
• Notify the Operations Manager of any changes to be made to the Language Examinations section of the Institute website.