Melbourne Forum Board Nominations, AGM and Closing Event 2025

Beyond our outstanding program events, we have three significant developments to bring to your attention this October and November:

• The opportunity to nominate for our 2026 Board and Committees
• Our 2025 AGM on Tuesday 25 November
• Our Closing Event celebration immediately following the AGM on 25 November

Our 2025 AGM and Closing Event

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Melbourne Forum Limited will be held at 5:30pm sharp on Tuesday 25th November at Coopers Inn, 282 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. The AGM agenda can be found in the Notice of Meeting link below.  

This year, immediately following the AGM, we will have our Closing Event for 2025. Event and booking details are available at the website and on the app. 

Please click to download: 

Notice of Meeting and Proxy Form including details on the business of the meeting 

Book in to attend the AGM and/or Closing Event by 12:00pm Tuesday 18 November 2025

Nominating for our Board and Committees - Contributing to Melbourne Forum

As you will be aware, we have a very vibrant event program and participation in our events throughout 2025 has been high – but this does not just happen. Melbourne Forum can only operate as it does with help from the many of our member-volunteers who contribute so much to our organisation. I would like to encourage you, including new members, to consider nominating for the board or a committee role. Previous committee experience is preferred for board candidates but is not mandatory.

The Board: Melbourne Forum is an active, productive, working-board – an executive board. The time commitment is about 8 hours per month.  Each board member has hands-on accountability for both membership and program initiatives as well as the usual board director responsibilities. We currently meet at least 6 times per year. Board meetings are held bimonthly on the first Tuesday of the relevant month, from 5:30pm to 7:00 pm and most are held on Zoom with one or two in the CBD.  The new board will appoint the Chair for 2026, plus office bearers at its first meeting after the AGM.

Committees: We have three working Committees in 2026 - Membership & Engagement Committee, Program Committee and Fellowship Committee. All committees are open for nomination, and members already on one or more committees are requested to re-nominate using the nomination form linked below. Committees also meet every two months, usually the alternative month to board meetings. 

Board and Committee members are expected to attend 80 percent of meetings.

Board Vacancies

There are six board vacancies open for 2026: four for three-year year terms and two for two-year terms to bring our annual vacancies back into a proper rotation.

Dianne Jacobs has served two-terms and will re-nominate for a third term. Professor Barbara van Ernst AM and Professor Vin Massaro have each served one-term and will renominate for a second term. Tony Nippard has served one term and will be stepping down. Wendy Smith has served a partial term and will be stepping down. Dr Lesa Scholl resigned from her position on the board in May this year.

I wish to thank Tony, Wendy and Lesa for their valuable contributions over the years. I also wish to thank all of our members who have generously volunteered their time on our committees over the past 12 months.

Nomination Process

If you are interested in nominating, these forms will need to be returned to the Executive Officer as specified below.

Please click to download: 

A Director nomination form for election to the board to be submitted by 5:00pm Friday 24 October 2025

A Committee nomination form to join a committee to be submitted by 5:00pm Friday 14 November 2025

If you would like further guidance on what’s involved in serving as a Melbourne Forum Board Director, please contact our Executive Officer, Simone Goodwin, who can provide you with the briefing document Melbourne Forum Board Director: Brief and Success Profile in the first instance. I would be delighted to talk to you if you have an interest, as would Co-Deputy Chairs Dianne Jacobs and Professor Vin Massaro, or any of our board members.

I look forward to seeing you at the AGM as well as the Closing Event, and to your continued involvement with Melbourne Forum. 

Regards and Thanks

Marianne Broadbent
Chair, Melbourne Forum