AGM
When and where is the AGM?
The AGM will take place at 6pm on Tuesday 23 September at the Assembly Room, St Helier Town Hall, York Street, St Helier, JE4 8PA. The official AGM notice, including the meeting agenda can be found here.
What will be covered at the AGM?
The agenda of the AGM will be as follows:
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To approve the Minutes of the Sixtieth AGM held on 5th December 2024
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To receive and consider the Annual Report of the Board of Trustees and Accounts for the year end 31st December 2024
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To appoint Grant Thornton as Auditors for the Trust and authorise the Board of Trustees to agree their remuneration
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To announce the results of the Trustee Election
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To accept the retirement of Trustee(s)
The agenda and more information on each topic can be found here.
Can I put forward an item of business for discussion?
All items of business for discussion need to be submitted to the Trust’s offices at least 60 days prior to the AGM.
This year, we received two resolutions from a group of members. As detailed in our Trust Rules (8.4) the Trustees can decline to accept a notice of any item or items of business. In the case of these two resolutions, the Trustees have unanimously declined to accept them both.
The deadline for the submission of items of business for this AGM has now passed however, you can submit an item of business for discussion at the 2026 AGM at any time up until 60 days prior to the 2026 AGM date in accordance with rule 8.3.
Who can attend the AGM?
All those aged 16 and over who hold a valid Durrell membership can attend the AGM. If you would like to register to attend the AGM, you can reserve your ticket here.
Members must bring their membership card and photographic ID with them to the AGM. If you need to check if your membership is still valid, please contact support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203.
Registration for tickets to attend the AGM will close at 23:59 on Sunday 14 September. Tickets are non-transferable and issued on a first come, first served basis. Once the total number of tickets have been allocated, we reserve the right to close registration and no reserve lists will be held.
I'm not a member, can I attend?
It is set out in our Trust rules that only members can attend our Annual General Meetings. Only members who have applied to become a member by 23:59 on Tuesday 9 September will be eligible to participate in the Trustee Election, appoint a proxy or attend the AGM.
Can I join or watch the AGM online?
The AGM is available for in-person attendance only. We are seeking to develop our ability to allow the online viewing and participation in AGMs at future meetings.
Voting
How do I vote?
Members have been sent a letter or email from Civica Election Services, including instructions on how to access the voting system with their unique security codes.
For the Trustee Election, members should submit their vote online in advance of the AGM. Votes must be received by 23:59 on Thursday 18 September. Members may register 1 vote, being the number of vacancies on the Board of Trustees. More information about the candidate can be found here.
To register to attend the AGM, members can book here. Registration to attend closes at 23:59 on Sunday 14 September.
If you cannot attend the AGM, you can appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. This is done by registering on the secure online voting platform provided by Civica and must be done by 23:59 on Thursday 18 September. Information on how to appoint a proxy can be found here.
What to do if you haven't received a notice?
Anyone who is an active member aged 16 and over and has not received an email or a letter from Civica in relation to the AGM, should contact support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203.
Who are Civica Election Services?
Civica is the UK’s leading independent provider of end-to-end ballot, election and voting services. They are supporting us to deliver a secure voting process for the AGM. They have over 100 years' experience of administering elections, ballots and consultation processes and are the UK's leading provider of election services.
How do I access Civica’s secure voting platform?
Members have been sent a letter or email from Civica on behalf of Durrell. This contains a unique code to access Civica’s secure voting platform to vote in the Election of Trustees and to vote by proxy online.
You can contact Civica on support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203 if you would like further support in appointing your proxy.
Anyone who is an active member aged 16 and over and has not received an email or a letter in relation to the AGM, should contact support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203.
My child is a member, can they vote?
Only active members aged 16 and over on the date of the AGM are eligible to vote.
How can I check if I have an active membership?
Anyone wanting to check the status of their membership can contact support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203.
Who can I appoint as a proxy?
If you are unable to attend the AGM, you can nominate someone to vote on your behalf by way of proxy. As outlined in our Trust Rules (10.8) we must receive notification of who will be voting on your behalf no less than four days before the AGM and they must be a valid Durrell member. You may also appoint the Chair, who will exercise your vote for the above resolutions as you direct. For this AGM, your proxy must be submitted to us using the online platform provided by Civica Election Services by 23:59 on Thursday 18 September.
What am I voting for?
Which Trustees are remaining on the Board, and what skills are we looking for in the new Trustees?
The Trustees remaining on the Board are Niall Husbands (Corporate Governance and Investment), Richard Daggett (Law), Gillian Arthur (Human Resources), Gary Clark (Finance and Accounting), Matthew Hatchwell (Wildlife Conservation), Sarah Cook (Communications and Marketing), Andrew Cunningham (Conservation Science and Training), John Regan (Fundraising and Philanthropy), Kirsten Pullen (Zoo Management), Richard Prosser (Professional Directorship), and Lee Durrell as Honorary Director.
As per point 5 on the Agenda:
"Gerald Voisin has reached the end of his second term (Rule 14.1) and will be standing down from the Board with effect from the end of the 2025 AGM.”
The skills and expertise that the Board is looking for in the advertised Trustee position are:
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Brand Effectiveness and Digital Media
Where can I find out more information?
We have created a dedicated webpage for our AGM. This hosts information such as the AGM Agenda, 2024 AGM Minutes, Trustee candidate, how to cast your vote, how to register to attend, and more.
If you cannot find the information you need on our website, you can also contact Civica with your questions by emailing support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or calling 020 8889 9203.
I can’t attend the AGM but still want to vote.
Members aged 16 and over do not need to attend the AGM to vote. If you are not attending the AGM but wish to vote on the matters noted in the agenda, you can appoint a proxy as detailed above. Votes in respect of the Trustee Election must be cast by members in advance of the AGM, whether they are attending the AGM or not.
More information about how to participate can be found here.
I don’t want to vote online.
All votes for the Election of Trustees must be submitted online. If you are unable to access a computer or would like support, you can visit our team at the Jersey Zoo Visitor Centre and we can help you access the system and cast your vote but please bring your email or letter from Civica Election Services.
All other votes can be made in person at the AGM. Find out more about how to participate here.
I haven’t received an email or letter from Civica.
Durrell members aged 16 and over are eligible to vote. All eligible members will be contacted by Civica Election Services, the UK’s leading independent provider of end-to-end ballot, election and voting services. Communication has been sent either via post or email, depending on what records we hold for you on file. Please check your email junk folder if you can't find your email.
If you are a Durrell member who is eligible to vote and have not yet received your ballot papers, please contact support-cesvotes@civica.co.uk or call 020 8889 9203.
Trustee recruitment
The Trustee election process
Trustees are elected by Durrell members. A skills audit of the Board of Trustees was conducted to determine the areas of expertise required to best complement the existing Trustees.
For this AGM, we enlisted the support of 2 independent panel members to sit alongside Durrell’s Governance Committee during the interview process. The independent panel members included a client partner at a digital agency with over 24 years’ experience in search and digital marketing and the former Chief Executive of a national marketing agency with over 50 years’ experience.
The final candidate being recommended was decided by the Board with advice from the Governance Committee, as required by the Trust’s rules.
The recommended candidate's personal statement is accompanied by a statement from the Governance Committee explaining their reasoning for recommendation.
With only one position available, not all applicants could be recommended. Candidates who did not make it through the selection process were given the option to self-nominate and still stand for election.
Voting for the new Trustee does not take place at the AGM. All votes must be submitted in advance by 23:59 on Thursday 18 September via Civica’s secure online voting platform and the results will be read out and noted at the AGM.
Find out more about how to participate here.
Why can’t I vote for my preferred Trustees on the evening?
Our Trust rules (12.8) state that all votes for Trustees must be received “not less than 4 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting”. All Trustee Election votes therefore need to be received by 23:59 on Thursday 18 September.
Board of Trustees recruitment results
At the AGM on 23 September 2025, results of the Trustee election will be announced, together with the total number of votes for the candidate. A follow-up communication will be sent to all members after the AGM.