Each IWA region is led by a region chair. This appointment is recommended by the region committee and ratified by trustees for a term of three years.

The role of the region chair is to facilitate and cultivate good relations and communications between branches in their region, their officers and all their neighbouring branches i.e. not just those within their geographic region.

The region chair’s key functions are to:

• Encourage and support branches to develop healthy groups that deliver good volunteer experiences for all.
• Work alongside their individual branches to ensure the activities and expenditures of each group are working toward the organisation’s objectives and that they follow IWA’s policies, procedures and Articles of Association.
• Coordinate the voice of the membership and act as a channel for directing any ideas, feedback or issues that are beyond the scope of one branch, to Trustees and national committees.
• Work with third parties to raise the profile of IWA, and to influence decisions that affect waterways at a regional level by working with navigation authorities, devolved regional governing bodies, other government bodies, local government, and any other regional agencies, as appropriate, to present a consistent approach at regional and branch level.

Region chairs are invited to attend meetings of IWA’s trustees in a representational, but non-voting capacity, and are kept informed of their activities with minutes and agenda papers. Region chairs are responsible for communicating trustee board decisions to branch committees, and for keeping the trustees, national committees, and the CEO and staff informed on activities within their respective regions.

The current region chairs are listed at https://waterways.org.uk/membership-iwa-committees