{"id":203,"date":"2026-02-13T08:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T22:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/?p=203"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:26:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T23:26:48","slug":"building-a-stronger-ages-outcomes-from-our-board-governance-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/building-a-stronger-ages-outcomes-from-our-board-governance-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a stronger AGES: outcomes from our Board Governance Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tBuilding a stronger AGES: outcomes from our Board Governance Day\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t

In late November, your AGES Board came together for a full-day governance workshop titled “A Bridge to the Future.” The aim was simple but important: to strengthen how we govern, improve transparency, and ensure AGES continues to deliver real value for members – now and into the future.<\/p>\n

The most recent AGES election was marked by conduct that fell well below the standards expected of our profession and was rightly unacceptable to many members. This underscored the urgent need to strengthen governance frameworks, policies and procedures, and to reinforce a culture of professionalism, respect and integrity across both the Board and the Society.<\/p>\n

While medical specialists bring deep clinical expertise, most of us have had little formal training in governance. Yet serving as a Board Director carries clear responsibilities: acting with care and diligence, managing finances responsibly, declaring conflicts of interest, and always acting in the best interests of the organisation and its purpose.<\/p>\n

Good governance means setting strategy (not running operations), being accountable and transparent, managing risk, and ensuring AGES remains sustainable and relevant. For members, this translates into a Society that is professionally run, financially sound, and focused on delivering high-quality education, advocacy, and improved gynaecological outcomes.<\/p>\n

The day centred on three key questions: What’s working well? Where are the gaps? And how do we become the best possible Board for our diverse membership?<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t

What we’re doing well<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Board members highlighted strong culture, respectful teamwork, and clear leadership as major strengths. Practical improvements – such as clearer meeting structures, improved documentation, and the introduction of BoardPro – are already enhancing accountability and follow-through. Education programs and conferences remain a cornerstone of AGES, supported by a highly committed Secretariat and an engaged Board.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

Where we need to improve<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

The workshop also surfaced honest reflections. Key challenges included workload, clarity between Executive and Board roles, election processes, and ensuring inclusion – particularly during virtual meetings. There was strong agreement that Board sustainability depends on clearer portfolios, manageable commitments, and stronger connection with the broader membership.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

Key governance reforms underway<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Several concrete actions were agreed upon and are now in progress. The Board acknowledges the work of the Constitution and Governance Committee, for leading this important work:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Delegation of Authority Policy<\/strong> – now finalised and approved, clarifying Executive versus Board responsibilities and improving transparency while enabling timely operational decisions.<\/li>\n
  • AGES Election Policy<\/strong> – in the final stages of approval, including clearer campaigning guidelines and strengthened expectations of Board neutrality.<\/li>\n
  • Ongoing governance training<\/strong> – strongly encouraged for all Directors.<\/li>\n
  • Renewed commitment<\/strong> to psychological safety, inclusion, and open communication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t

    Staying aligned with AGES’ purpose<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

    These governance improvements directly support AGES’ broader strategy: delivering world-class education and training, advocating for gynaecological health, fostering research, and building a proactive, engaged membership within a progressive and sustainable society.<\/p>\n

    As John C. Maxwell reminds us, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” While the catalyst for this governance day arose from a challenging period, it has enabled meaningful reflection and positive change.<\/p>\n

    You can expect clearer processes, stronger accountability, and a Board that is actively working to be more transparent, inclusive, and responsive to your needs. This was a meaningful step forward and just the beginning. Thank you for being part of the AGES community as we continue building a stronger Society together.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    Author<\/h3>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
    \nDr Kate Martin
    \nFRANZCOG, MBBS
    \nGynaecologist, Laparoscopic Surgeon
    \nAdelaide, South Australia
    \n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In late November, your AGES Board came together for a full-day governance workshop titled \u201cA Bridge to the Future.\u201d The aim was simple but important: to strengthen how we govern, improve transparency, and ensure AGES continues to deliver real value for members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions\/234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/escope.ages.com.au\/february-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}