AGM: The year in numbers, plus meet new Board members
Didn't make it to the AGM? Here's a short summary on our online meeting
Owen Atkinson, ALCS Chief Executive and Executive Director, opened the 2021 AGM with the good news that ALCS collected more than £40 million for the first time this year, paying out £38 million to more than 100,000 members. That means ALCS has now distributed £570 million to members since it was established in 1977. Owen added that this year, more than 3,500 new members have joined ALCS.
The formal online AGM proceedings were held virtually for the second year running, giving ALCS members across the country and overseas the opportunity to attend. The meeting was prefaced by a video in which ALCS staff – including Jack Johnson from the membership recruitment team, Qais Zirak from data services and Jessica Atkinson, social media manager – updated members on other developments over the past year. These included the addition of new overseas sources of income, notably from Russia and Finland, the launch of a new ALCS Instagram account (@alcs_uk), and the best ever attended AGM of the All Party Parliamentary Writers Group.
Tony Bradman, Chair of the Board, introduced the formal proceedings of the AGM by referencing the ongoing challenges posed to writers’ income by both the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, but also struck a tone of optimism for the future.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Bispham presented the statutory accounts and Board of Directors’ report for approval, stating that ALCS had collected revenue in excess of £30 million for the 11th year in succession. The 2021 total revenue of £40.9 million represents the equivalent of £1 million collected for writers by each member of staff at ALCS.
Voting and questions on agenda items took place, including the approval of the co-opted appointment of writer, lecturer and award-winning novelist, Okechukwu Nzelu, to the ALCS Board.
Results of the recent ALCS Board Election were also announced, with both Joanne Harris and Diane Redmond re-elected, while a new audiovisual Board member, Helen Blakeman, was elected for the first time. Congratulations to all! The full results can be found here.
Before closing the meeting, Tony Bradman paid tribute to the considerable contribution of Board member, Maggie Gee, who has stepped down after serving two terms.
Thank you to all ALCS members who joined us for our 2021 AGM, and to those who asked questions.
Interested in seeing the ALCS Annual Review? Or why not watch our short film highlighting the year in numbers:
