Nominations are now open for the 2015 IHA Board elections, which take place between May and July this year. These elections will decide the international representatives that will shape and direct our work over the next two years.

Anyone who is either employed by an IHA member company or is an individual IHA member can stand to be a Board member. This simple five-step guide explains what you need to do to put yourself forward. You can download a nomination pack here.

1. Familiarise yourself with the association’s activities

If you have not been actively involved with IHA’s work programme before now, you may find it useful to discover more about our activities and priorities before you prepare your election materials.

Our 2014 Activity Report, which is available in five languages, details our recent work and our impact on the sector, as well as outlining some future activities. The 2015 version will also be available soon.

2. Check your eligibility

As an employee of an IHA member company or an individual member, you are eligible to run as a candidate in the Board elections.

Furthermore, you should be aware that elected Board members will be expected to fulfil responsibilities and duties that include:

• Acting within the best interests of the association and promote its success
• Acting in accordance with the association's constitution and bye-laws
• Exercising independent judgement, reasonable care, skill and diligence
• Avoiding or declaring conflicts of interest

3. Find two other members to support you

Each Board candidate must be supported by two other IHA members (either individual or employed by a corporate member) from different countries. Your supporters will need to agree to support your candidacy by having their name included on your nomination form.

If you have difficulty finding two supporters from different countries, we will be happy to help in connecting you to potential supporters. If you get in touch with the team at our central office we can discuss this with you further.

4. Write your statement

To put yourself forward as a candidate you will need to provide a short statement explaining the contribution you feel you can make as a Board member.

The statement can be any length, but we recommend keeping it no longer than about 200 words in order to keep it as succinct as possible. Keep in mind that the statement will be published to promote your candidacy.

In your statement, you may want to include:

• Details of your experience – what are your particular areas of expertise relevant to IHA's work?
• Where you have worked – do you have insights on a particular country or region?
• Your vision for IHA – do you have ideas on how you would like to see IHA develop?

5. Fill out and submit your nomination form

Finally, you need to go through the formalities and fill out your nomination form. The form asks for your basic details, as well as your statement and the names of your supporters.

You can download your nomination pack here.