Who we are
Created in 1981 by London Marathon co-founders Chris Brasher and John Disley, the London Marathon Foundation (LMF) is one of the UK’s major funders of initiatives that support people – especially children, young people and those from marginalised communities – to lead active and healthy lives.
The Foundation is the parent charity of London Marathon Events (LME), who together share a vision of Inspiring Activity.
The role
LONDON MARATHON FOUNDATION IS SEEKING
AN INVESTMENT SPECIALIST FOR ITS FINANCE & AUDIT COMMITTEE
Who are we?
Created in 1981 by London Marathon co-founders Chris Brasher and John Disley, the London Marathon Foundation (LMF) is one of the UK’s major funders of initiatives that support people – especially children, young people and those from marginalised communities – to lead active and healthy lives.
The Foundation is the parent charity of London Marathon Events (LME), who together share a vision of Inspiring Activity. LME inspires activity by organising world-leading mass participation sporting events including the TCS London Marathon, Ford RideLondon and Swim Serpentine. Every year, after costs, the surplus income generated by LME is passed as corporate Gift Aid to the Foundation. This income funds projects that encourage, inspire and champion participation and diversity in physical activity in London, Essex and across the UK.
As LME’s portfolio of events has grown, so too has the Foundation’s income, and earlier this year we reached the monumental milestone of awarding more than £100 million to more than 1,600 projects since 1981. We support a wide range of inclusive activities, from team sports like football and wheelchair basketball, to individual activities like running and swimming, and many other ways of being active such as through play, dance, walking and gardening so that everyone – regardless of their age, ability or background – can lead an active and healthy life. Visit londonmarathonfoundation.org to find out more.
As our income grows, we expect to be distributing more than £8 million in funding per year, with an ambition to connect new groups and communities with our funding who may not have been able to access it before. In addition, in 2019, the Foundation set aside a fund of around £10 million to be managed on a long-term basis by an asset management company.
Investment Adviser Role and Who we are looking for
We are looking to co-opt a skilled and experienced individual with particular expertise and experience in investment management, to join the Foundation’s Finance & Audit Committee (FAC), a subcommittee for the LMF Trustee Board.
In advance of each FAC meeting, the Investment Adviser is responsible for producing a brief summary of the investment Managers’ report.
The Investment Adviser will work with the Chair of FAC to formulate responses to developments in both the charity cash flow and market events. Some of these may occur between meetings.
The role and function of the FAC is to support the Board in its responsibilities including financial and business planning; the management and allocation of financial resources and assets; financial reporting; risk management; internal control and governance arrangements; and compliance with all applicable regulatory and statutory requirements.
Responsibility for decision-making and for regulatory and statutory financial compliance lies with the Trustees as a whole, who retain the ultimate responsibility for running the charity. The FAC assists in formulating the assurance needs of the Board and assesses how comprehensive and reliable those assurances are.
The role of Committee member is an entirely voluntary position but offers the appointed individual a real opportunity to make a positive difference to the work of this influential funder and grant-maker. The FAC meets virtually four times a year and Committee Members will be invited to attend LME events. Travel and other out-of-pocket expenses can be claimed
Skills and Experience
· Experience of financial investment management
· Strategic awareness of investment policies and practices
· Sound understanding of investment markets, and an ability to provide challenge to our asset managers to help with Trustee decision-making
· Knowledge of the principles of accounting and financial records and transactions
· Knowledge of audit procedures and modern audit approaches
· Knowledge of a range of risk management approaches
· Strong communication skills and the ability to redact, summarise and interpret financial language in a way that is accessible to colleagues from a non-finance background
· Experience at Board level in a commercial or not-for-profit sector is desirable, but not essential.
Closing date for applications: Friday 20 October 2023
Interview dates: 01 & 02 November 2023
We are an equal opportunity organisation and value diversity at our charity.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.
We aim to meet the accessibility needs of all candidates. This includes holding virtual interviews, offering reimbursement for travel and childcare for in-person interviews, and providing adaptions for neurodiversity and those with physical disabilities. If we can support you in any way through the process, please let us know and we will endeavour to do so.
