Chartership Frequently Asked Questions
Chartership represents the highest accolade that a professional institution can receive to raise the industry profile of its members and the relevance of the industry where it operates.
Becoming a Chartered body is a huge accolade and a demonstration of confidence that the Institute is a competent professional body and recognises its unique role in the drinks industry as a technical learning provider and membership organisation globally.
This brings into focus the importance of brewing, distilling and allied industries as professions in their own right, and positions them at the same level as other chartered industries, formally recognising their relevance in society and the economy.
Over 1300 organisations have been granted a UK Royal Charter, including some based outside the UK such as the Institute of Engineers in India. Other notable organisations with Charters include the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys and the College of Emergency Medicine.
For individuals, Chartered Status brings a number of benefits:
- Raises the professional profile of brewers, distillers and allied industry professionals making them more marketable in a higher valued industry and formally recognises their profession from a societal and economic perspective.
- Increases the profile and value of brewing, distilling and allied industry as a profession recognised at the same level as accountancy, architecture or general practice
- Raises awareness of brewing and distilling as a primary career choice
- Provides parity of esteem with other professionals in other walks of life
- Signifies a commitment and adherence to professional and ethical conduct, providing public trust and confidence
Chartered Status will bring significant benefits to the industry and the sectors by providing a globally recognisable mark of quality and setting standards of professionalism and performance.
Globally the industry has lacked a consistently recognised and respected professional title which has now been addressed with Chartership.
We are already recognised globally as providing the gold standard of technical education for brewers, distillers and allied industry professionals and this will not change.
Chartered Status will involve a new CPD programme and an updated IBD Code of Professional Conduct for members, reinforcing our commitment to high standards of professionalism and learning, and makes us uniquely placed to support members in their ongoing professional development.
In one of the most important milestones in its history, the IBD is starting the process of transitioning the IBD to the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD).
The formal transition from the IBD to the CIBD is a detailed and complex process that is reliant on 3 government bodies to achieve. All members will receive sufficient notice to ensure everyone can plan effectively for the transition.
The new name of the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers was approved as the new name of the IBD at the EGM on 14th of June 2022. The abbreviated version will be “CIBD”.
Our new name captures the importance of the individual as a professional within the drinks industry.
Following an initial period of transition, at the point of their annual renewal Members who confirm that they are committed to their professional development and adhering to the updated IBD Code of Professional Conduct will be entitled to use MIBD (Members) and FIBD (Fellows).
No, in the future it will be possible for Members to apply for individual charters based on demonstrating adherence to the CPD, professional code of conduct. Over the next two years and working in consultation we will establish a new robust standard for this additional distinction.
The new chartered body will still be a registered charity and its charitable purpose will still be to advance education in the sciences of brewing, distilling and fermentation for the benefit of the public.
Membership fees will continue to be set in the same way as at present with increases considered and set in relation to a range of factors including inflation.
Existing members in the allied industries who are not brewers and distillers will also become MIBD.
The Chartered body is a new organisation, governed by the new Charter and Byelaws and it is our intention that the assets of the existing IBD will be transferred upon completion of transition to become the CIBD.
There are some legal and practical steps that must take place before memberships are moved across, and, importantly, the official copy of our Charter needs to be printed and formally given the seal before we are legally recognised.
Members holding professional status (MIBD & FIBD) will need to commit to the new Byelaws, this includes keeping their knowledge and skills up to date and abiding by a new Code of Professional Conduct.
We will be asking Members & Fellows to confirm this when they transfer to the new, post-nominal holding categories and when they renew their membership.
We plan to apply to extend our status to include offering individual Chartership in 2-3 years' time, when we are able to demonstrate that have been applying the Code of Professional Conduct and Disciplinary processes in a robust fashion over a sustained period, and are able to show that we have the processes and systems in place to monitor the CPD for Chartered members.
We will now proceed with our plan to transition to the CIBD and put in place the necessary policies, structures and frameworks required to operate as the new Chartered organisation.