Election process

The call for nominations open on 10 February 2026 at 14:00 GMT, and close on 3 March 2026 at 09:30 GMT.

From 10 February 2026, 14:00 GMT, members will be invited to submit their nominations for the vacant roles as detailed below.

Congress exists to bring the voice of the membership in its role as an advisory body to the Board of Trustees. It consists of two electoral colleges; one that represents members geographically worldwide (Geographical College) and one that reflects membership grades from Student to Fellow (Membership College).

Following the introduction of updated Regulations in late 2024, a number of changes have been made in relation to the seats available on Congress and who is eligible to stand for and vote in each of the seats.

In relation to the Geographical College (previously referred to as the Regional College) seats, the eligibility has been extended to include those in Associate and Affiliate grades of membership from the relevant region as well as Chartered Members and Fellows.

An additional seat has been allocated to Malaysia, while new seats for the ‘Americas’ (a merger of the previous USA and Canada seats), ‘Middle East’, ‘UK East & Midlands' (a merger of the previous UK Eastern and UK Midlands seats), and ‘UK Scotland’ (a merger of the previous UK North Scotland and UK South Scotland seats) have been introduced. The previous ‘Singapore’ seat has been renamed ‘Far East’ and the merger of the UK South East and UK South Central now becomes the ‘UK South’ seat.

There has also been a re-allocation of seats within the Membership College (previously referred to as the Functional College). The number of seats for Chartered Members and Fellows has been reduced to allow for the introduction of new Affiliate and Associate seats, as well as an Academic seat.

The term in office for all Congress members is three years, renewable to a maximum of six consecutive years, after which there shall be at least a two-year gap before a further term can be served.

Roles open

Nominations open on 10 February 2026 at 14:00 GMT for the following positions. Some of the roles require members to have specific skills and experience or have reached a certain membership grade, therefore please view the role requirements before submitting your nominations. To submit your nomination, please visit the nominations website.

Geographical College

• Australia
• Far East
• Malaysia
• Middle East
• Netherlands
• UK East and Midlands (2)
• UK North East (2)
• UK Scotland (2)
• UK North West and Wales (2)
• UK South
• UK South West
• UK South Wales

Membership College

• Fellow
• Chartered
• Associate
• Affiliate

Eligibility and experience required

For more information on eligibility to stand and nominate, and the experience required for each role, please view the Congress role requirements.

Congress aims to be an inclusive group, representing the voice of the membership to provide a member view to the Board of Trustees on matters of interest to members. Therefore, candidates are welcomed from those at various stages of their career with a range of professional experience and a commitment to the future development of IChemE.

Members keen to enter positive debate and suggest creative ideas and solutions will find being part of Congress a particularly rewarding experience.

Nominations

Nominations open on 10 February 2026 at 14:00 GMT and close on 3 March 2026 at 09:30 GMT.

Nominations are to be submitted via the nomination form on the web-based platform hosted by election services provider Mi-Voice. This includes an election statement (max 200 words), a short personal biography (max 300 words) and a photograph. Candidates are also invited to submit a 2-3 minute video to set out their case for election to the membership, although this is optional. These documents will be shared with the voting membership as a part of the election process.

Each nomination must be supported by two members. For seats in the Geographical College, any two members from the respective region (excluding Student members) can nominate a candidate in that region. Those applying for seats in the Membership College require the support of two members in the same membership grade as outlined under the role requirements.

If more nominations than vacancies are received, then a ballot of all members eligible to vote for those Membership or Geographical seats in question will commence in April 2026 and the successful candidates will take up their places on Congress with effect from the end of the AGM, which will be held on 9 June 2026.