Become a member

South

The South region of the Institute of Directors has around 10,000 members, spread over a geographical area stretching from Banbury in the north to Dover in the east, with eight individual branches and the regional headquarters based in Reading.

IoD South is home to a huge variety of businesses and is one of high output and achievement. All business interests are represented in its membership and the activities of the region and its branches provide an excellent platform for inspiration, discussion and development of ideas.

The region is responsible for the development and management of a programme of strategic events and seminars for IoD South members including highly prestigious events such as the annual London and South East Director of the Year Awards.

South branches

IoD South has seven branches: Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex. .

Berks Berks
Bucks Bucks
Hampshire Hampshire
Kent Kent
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire
Surrey Surrey
Sussex Sussex
{0} More

About Berkshire branch

IoD Berkshire is part of the Institute of Directors’ South region and currently has around 1,200 members. We aim to meet the needs of IoD members across the county and offer a wide variety of events and activities to complement the general benefits of being an IoD member.

We also encourage our members to connect with each other. We firmly believe that by offering members the support they need to be effective as directors, and their businesses to be as good as they can be, we bring economic benefits to the whole of Berkshire.

About Buckinghamshire branch

IoD Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes is here to meet the needs of IoD members from across the county. We are one of the UK’s leading branches, with more than 1,300 members, and a wide variety of events and activities designed to appeal to all members, whatever their needs.

Our aim is to encourage members to connect with one another, and to help them access the support they need to be more effective as directors and to help their businesses to grow.

Committee members

Our committee is made up of businesspeople from across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes and from a variety of different sectors. Each committee member is dedicated to making Bucks and Milton Keynes IoD an exciting and effective group for our members.

About Hampshire branch

Hampshire and Isle of Wight IoD is recognised as the premier business organisation for the area. We aim to represent the concerns of our members locally, nationally and beyond, facilitate networking relations and provide an unsurpassed platform for conducting business.

At approximately 1,400 members strong, ours is a large and proactive branch. As well as laying on a range of events, we work very closely with other business organisations in the area, and have representation on various boards, such as the Local Enterprise Partnership, where our objective is to ensure that business remains involved and engaged.

Drawing on the practical experience of members and the expertise of the IoD Policy Unit, we have developed a strong business voice. Lobbying government is an important function of the IoD and helps Hampshire business to make its voice heard.

About Kent branch

The Kent branch of the Institute of Directors has a membership in the region of 1,500, of whom around 40 per cent are chairmen, chief executive officers or managing directors and 45 per cent are non-executive or other titled directors.

Members come from the full range of industry – agriculture, engineering, construction, transport and communications, manufacturing and the service sector – and we have particularly strong representation from the banking, financial and business service sector, at 41 per cent.

Members lead companies with turnovers ranging from less than £250k (eight per cent) to more than £500m (two per cent), while 37 per cent fall between £250k and £5m per annum and 28 per cent turnover between £5m and £500m. Forty per cent of our members employ 25 people or fewer.

Female members account for almost 10 per cent while members under 40 account for almost 13 per cent, reflecting our initiatives to fully represent the movers and shakers in business today.

Our vision

To maintain Kent IoD as one of the leading business organisations in the UK, we aim to:

Increase relevant membership
Activate a positive programme to retain members
Increase member satisfaction of activities and services
Increase representation among Kent's top companies
Involve a greater proportion of members
Introduce new youth and education initiatives
Encourage young people in business
Increase awareness in the business community
Generate funds to improve membership services
Facilitate change

About Oxfordshire branch

IoD Oxfordshire is an active and engaged branch, representing approximately 670 members. We work closely with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to ensure the county continues to see an influx of investment. To that end, committee members have been taking on more ambassadorial roles to ensure business interests are fully represented in vital areas.

We are taking a particularly active interest in:

Education

We are building strong links with Young Enterprise and academy chains in the county, tackling the challenges of Generation Y’s entry into our workforces, asking what makes for employability and how we can boost it at a time of significant threats to further education funding.

Housing

House prices in the county are considerably above national average, but wages aren’t, with Oxford itself one of the least affordable cities in the country. IoD Oxfordshire is lobbying the LEP, ensuring the voice of business is heard in any measures taken to tackle this problem.

Employment

While the private sector is thriving in the county, the public sector is one of the largest employers, and the cuts continue. We need to be aware of the impact of these on ourselves and our staff, and, by working closely with the LEP and the various councils, we aim to represent and inform businesses.

Events

We hold interesting and enjoyable events, helping you build your professional development and widen your circle of business contacts. Our popular Blenheim breakfasts will continue, as will our recently introduced Connect evenings.

About Surrey branch

IoD Surrey branch has around 2,700 members. Chair Rob May, the staff and volunteer committee combine to support local members and organise valuable and engaging business events to boost professional development and extend networks and contact books.

We also host regular business briefings to ensure members have the best, most up-to-date economic intelligence on a range of issues from the state of Surrey business to the outlook for inflation, direct from the Bank of England.

About Sussex branch

IoD Sussex branch has 1,400 members throughout the county. Sussex is rich in business variety, from the area’s traditional agriculture to the cutting-edge creativity of Brighton and Hove, and we encompass it all at IoD Sussex.

Committee members

Our committee comprises volunteers from a variety of business sectors. Everyone on the committee is dedicated to making the Sussex branch an effective and enticing group for members. We hope to foster a culture of mutual support in which members help each other to be more effective as directors and to help their businesses grow. Committee members are usually present at local events and are always available if you have questions.

Please let us know if you think you might like to join the Sussex committee. We always welcome new members.

Membership engagement

To encourage engagement and networking we recently launched the IoD Sussex LinkedIn group where you can connect with fellow members and find out about our latest activities. You will find it at LinkedIn under ‘IoD Sussex – members only’.

South Young Directors Forum

The YDF aims to provide opportunities for younger, less experienced directors and executives to learn both from each other and from the more experienced business leaders who attend the events.

Find out more