Why I’m excited for the future of IMarEST membership
Becky Stanley has recently become the chair of our Membership Committee. As she takes the helm, she explains why it is important to her, and how recent changes are helping to offer the benefits that members want.
It might sound silly to say that I’m excited to be part of a committee, but that is the truth! And that’s because it’s a great time to get involved. Our team is looking at membership in a new way, and I think there’s a real opportunity to help other marine professionals benefit from the IMarEST’s global community as much as I have.
Over the past year, the Membership Committee has been given an overhaul. No longer does it oversee admissions and professional registration, as these roles have now been given to panels acting on authority from the IMarEST Council and the Board. This allows the Membership Committee to focus on its true purpose of steering the strategic direction of membership across the Institute.
The committee will now look at the big picture when it comes to membership, and concentrate on improving acquisition, retention, development, and engagement. We hope this will ensure that IMarEST membership feels relevant and valuable at every career stage.
A significant part of our work is driven by data, and we regularly review live membership statistics and key performance indicators. These give us a picture of where we are doing well, where improvement is needed, and also enables us to recognise where representation is lacking. For example, the proportion of Fellows who are women remains very low, reinforcing the need to remove barriers and make progression to Fellowship more accessible.
An exciting change we're really proud of is the new fellowship standard. This has been refreshed and was launched in January to make this level of membership more accessible, by identifying and removing barriers that prevent people from progressing. The technology register has also just been revitalised to help candidates demonstrate that they meet the evolving needs of the global marine sector and the expectations of international regulators.
Another area of focus is helping our student members go on to enjoy IMarEST membership throughout their careers. Like many institutions, IMarEST has a strong student cohort, but retaining those members as they transition into early career professionals is challenging. Understanding what motivates people to stay, what benefits they seek, and how we better support professional development in those early years is something we are hoping to improve.
These are just two areas, but the list could go on, and making sure we have the right membership products is essential. We regularly review existing membership benefits, consider whether they serve our members, and recommend enhancements to the executive where needed. What works for a student member may be very different from what matters to someone approaching retirement, and we need to understand and meet those needs.
This is also reflected in how we are reshaping the Membership Committee itself. Under updated terms of reference, members now serve a maximum of two three-year terms, with breaks built in to encourage renewal. We are actively recruiting new committee members, because we want the committee to better reflect the diversity of the IMarEST community.
And this is a key point. Because admissions and assessments are now handled separately, the committee no longer needs to be made up of senior professionals. Instead, we are keen to welcome students, early and mid‑career professionals, and members from all disciplines. It’s so important that we have a diverse committee to strengthen policies, benefits, and processes so that they work for all IMarEST members.
Please do consider joining us; we’d love to have you!
