SUPERBRANDS ANNUAL 2012 Superbrands.uk.com

The Institute of Directors (IoD) has long been recognised as an infl uential and respected membership organisation in the UK. With more than 100 years’ success, it is measured by its members who are some of the most skilled and experienced business leaders in the country, representing the full business spectrum – from start-up entrepreneurs to directors in the public sector and CEOs of multinational organisations.

MarketThe IoD’s most powerful component is the quality of its members; 70 per cent are business leaders from small and medium sized enterprises, and 68 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies are represented. The diversity of professional backgrounds encourages entrepreneurship among the IoD business community, with members sharing business skills and knowledge with each other while also benefi ting from the IoD’s support.

ProductIoD membership aims to offer a real return on investment, improving cost effi ciency while increasing long-term productivity. The portfolio of benefi ts includes tangible, measurable business resources that support both individual and operational performance.

The IoD provides its members with opportunities to meet and connect, with high-profi le occasions such as the Director of the Year Awards – featuring guest speaker Lord Sugar in

2010 – and the Annual Convention, which hosts more than 2,000 business leaders and attracts prestigious speakers such as Dame Fiona Reynolds, David Cameron and Vince Cable. A recent decision to relocate the event from the Royal Albert Hall to The O2 was driven by a desire to improve the delegate experience by offering greater networking space.

Smaller, more regular events are held regionally, with local breakfast briefi ngs and seminars. Members also have free access to workspace in 12 prestigious city premises across the UK.

The IoD is a reputable source for relevant and accurate information on all aspects of business, and the quality of service is taken seriously. The last year has proved a testing time for many businesses and individuals, underlining the importance of support – which sits at the core of the IoD’s benefi ts and services. Its Information and Advisory team handles in excess of 30,000 enquiries annually

while Directors’ Law Express – its legal helpline that celebrated its 10th anniversary in January 2011 – has dealt with almost 43,000 calls from 16,000 individual members since its inception.

IoD launched Offi ce Solutions in 2010 to provide members with a unique portfolio of fl exible working packages, ranging from an address and virtual offi ces to full time desk space. Its popularity meant that after just one year the offi ce space, which is located in the IoD’s 116 Pall Mall headquarters, underwent an expansion. At the end of 2011 there were more than 200 members using the service.

AchievementsThe IoD is recognised for offering creative and fl exible training opportunities that can make a signifi cant difference to performance and productivity.

Its exclusive and industry-recognised qualifi cation, Chartered Director, is supported by many major infl uential bodies and more than 1,000 individuals are now qualifi ed. Through

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IOD

IoD International, director training is available in countries as diverse as Japan, India and China.

The IoD’s authoritative and highly regarded business journal, Director, was redesigned in 2011 as a contemporary title. In November it won its fi rst award since the relaunch, picking up Business Travel Features Journalist of the Year at the Business Travel Journalism Awards 2011.

In recent years the IoD has been involved in initiatives aimed at supporting future business leaders and encouraging entrepreneurs. The IoD is aiming to generate support for global entrepreneurialism and in 2011, led a delegation of three successful UK entrepreneurs to the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit and started a new initiative aimed at helping start-up companies.

Recent DevelopmentsIncreasing networking remains high on the IoD’s agenda, more so in the current economic climate when retaining and gaining new business is vital. The LinkedIn IoD member

group has continued to grow since its launch and now facilitates an average of 280 monthly member discussions, involving more than 7,000 members, ranging from business advice to the mutual sharing of ideas for business leaders.

In response to the UK Corporate Governance Code’s recommendation that FTSE 350 companies regularly undertake an externally facilitated board evaluation, the IoD set up a FTSE Board Evaluation Service in November 2011. The new service rejects the conventional ‘tick box’ approach in favour of an expert team to tailor evaluations to each organisation.

Of late, the IoD’s training and development service has been exceptionally busy as members try to stay ahead of the competition. Initiatives include the Board Evaluation Toolkit, launched in 2010, and new courses created to meet growing demand, such as Coaching for Directors and Women as Highly Effective Directors.

Additional brand developments include a new concierge service at the

IoD’s 116 Pall Mall headquarters, enabling the 400 plus daily

members to access time saving services such as organising couriers, deliveries or dry cleaning while working.

PromotionRecent promotion has placed

renewed focus on members and the IoD has launched a

range of events that give them regular access to its new director

general, Simon Walker. An accompanying promotional strategy features member testimonials and photography on and offl ine.

A new Director app was launched in September 2011 to accompany and promote the revamp of Director magazine. Exclusively for members, the app offers enhanced content

in addition to interviews with leading fi gures from the UK business world, opinions, debate, news and lifestyle.

Brand ValuesThe IoD’s brand mark represents the essence of the organisation – the ‘D’ takes precedence over the ‘I’, illustrating the simple approach that ‘Directors come before the Institute’. The elegant, yet commanding design also refl ects the IoD’s values: professional, inclusive, commercial, enterprising, open and honest.

The IoD attributes its success to the treatment of each member as an individual and to its brand offering of knowledgeable staff, responsive, engaging communication and confi dent, trustworthy support.

www.iod.com

Brand History

1903: WA Addinsell, the head of a family-run accountancy fi rm, becomes the founding pioneer of the IoD. A group of senior directors meet to form the Council of the IoD, responding to concerns about the creation of new company legislation in 1900/01.

1921: The forerunner to Director magazine, Advance, is launched.

1950: The IoD holds its fi rst Annual Convention.

1976: The IoD moves to its current headquarters, 116 Pall Mall, London.

1987: Margaret Thatcher addresses the IoD Annual Convention.

1999: The world’s fi rst independently accredited qualifi cation for directors, Chartered Director, is launched.

2001: The Business Leaders Summits are introduced and iod.com goes live. In addition, Tony Blair opens the IoD’s new venue, IoD 123.

2003: The IoD’s commitment to business excellence expands globally with the launch of IoD International.

2008: The IoD launches a private online networking forum for members.

2011: The Annual Convention relocates to a new home at The O2.

Did You Know?

The IoD’s premises have been used for scenes in

The Dark Knight, Ghandi, The Apprentice and MasterChef.

Simon Walker, director general of the IoD, previously held the

role of communications secretary to Her Majesty

The Queen.

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