Governance and Organisation

The governance structure of TNI is set up as follows:

• The Supervisory Board, which is responsible for supervising the management of the Foundation and the general course of affairs, and to provide the Management Board with advice.
• The Management Board (Executive Director), which is responsible for the realisation of the objects of the Foundation, the strategy, the policy and the results thereof.
• The Fellowship consisting of recognised international experts in the substantive areas that are relevant for the work of TNI, which also advises the Supervisory and the Management Board on issues of substance.
• The Board of Advisors, composed of eminent international experts, which renders assistance to the organisation in more general terms.

The structure is set out below:

The composition of each of these organs is based on a careful balance to ensure participation of the various stakeholders relevant for TNI and to reflect its international composition and orientation as well as its ambitions. This includes considerations of gender, continental representation, scholarly capacity, engagement with social movements TNI seeks to serve, as well as the relevant disciplines and skills required by TNI.

Composition of the Supervisory Board in 2024

The Supervisory Board is selected on the basis of the criteria laid down in the by-laws, and profiles which are regularly reviewed and revised. A committee – comprised of one Supervisory Board member, one staff member (usually the Executive Director), and one fellow – interviews candidates and makes a recommendation to the Supervisory Board, which makes the final decision.

The Supervisory Board members serve a four-year term, once renewable, and are not remunerated. The Supervisory Board meets at least three times per year, approving strategic plans, budgets, annual reports, policies and to discuss operational progress. Detailed information about the Supervisory Board members can be found on the TNI website here.

Susan George has served as President of TNI since 2015, which is an honorary position.

The composition of the Supervisory Board in 2024 was as follows:

Imad Sabi, Chairperson	01/03/2021 – 28/02/2025 (1st term)
Frenk van Enckevort	15/06/2022 – 14/06/2026 (2nd term)
Ruth Kronenburg, Treasurer	29/10/2022 – 28/10/2026 (2nd term)
zohra moosa	30/10/2023 – 29/10/2027 (1st term)
Ferrial Adam, Secretary	30/10/2023 – 29/10/2027 (1st term)

Composition of the Management Board

The Management Board consists of one person – the Executive Director, Fiona Dove. The following staff report directly to her: the Personnel Officer, Programme Directors, Communication Coordinator, Evaluation Officer, and Fundraising Coordinator. In addition, the contact point at Jac’s Den Boer en Vink, which administers TNI’s accounts, reports to her.

The leadership expected from the Executive Director is to provide vision and to help staff think strategically. She is supported in the daily management by a Management Team – comprised of the Personnel Officer, the Overall Programmes Coordinator and the Communication Coordinator – which meets weekly. The gender breakdown for the Management Team in 2024 was 50:50.

The Supervisory Board determines the remuneration of the Executive Director. The remuneration complies with both the guidelines of Goede Doelen Nederland as well as those of the Dutch Government (Wet Normering Topinkomens).

Remuneration of the Executive Director:

	2024	2023
	€	€
Salary	102.832,44	93.820,44
Holiday pay	8.226,60	7.505,64
End of year payment	500,00	500,00
Sub-total	111.559,04	101.826,08
Taxes	12.950,40	11.914,68
Pension	17.932,42	17.204,24
Total	142.441,86	130.945,00

Composition of the International Fellowship

TNI’s international Fellowship is coordinated within our Knowledge Hub. It is comprised of 53 people – 41 Associates and 12 Research Fellows. They were (re)appointed in 2023 and are currently serving a three-year term.

Associates are defined as internationalist public intellectuals with a track record of progressive activist-scholarship, a passionate commitment to social change and a history of collaboration with TNI.

Research Fellows comprise a diverse group of experts, as well as activists and artists, collaborating with specific TNI programmes or the Knowledge Hub. Very sadly, at the end of 2024, one Research Fellow, Dr Dave Bewley-Taylor, passed away.

Together, they constitute an intellectual resource on which the institute relies for big picture contextual analysis, for seeing ahead of the curve, and who bring additional knowledge and perspectives into TNI, and represent us in different corners of the world.

We pay close attention to ensuring a good gender and geographic balance within our fellowship. Currently, 43% are women, 38% are from the South, with the intention to raise this to 50% in the coming years.

Composition of the International Advisory Board

The International Advisory Board, and its composition, is under consideration and was not operational in 2024.

TNI puts a lot of effort into ensuring it acts internally in ways consistent with its values. Our internal organisational culture is non-hierarchical and highly consultative. As far as possible, decisions are taken through a process of consensus-building. Monthly staff meetings are held where news is exchanged, and consultations on policy are held.

While most staff are expected to be self-steering, there are also clear lines of accountability and recognition of the authority of the team leader to make final decisions. The gender breakdown for senior staff is 59% women, 41% men.

There is no hierarchy in respect of public representation with all team members encouraged to accept public speaking engagements, and to engage with the media.

Fair Employer

In line with TNI’s vision and values, we are an equal opportunities employer with a strict policy of non-discrimination and a commitment to strive for as much diversity as possible within the organisation. Thirteen nationalities are represented among our total complement of 32 staff, of whom 63% are women; 76% of our 25 freelance team members are from the Global South and 68% are women.

Gender breakdown – All TNI workers

Staff

Regional diversity – All TNI workers

TNI is registered as an employer in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In 2024, the foundation had an average of 28.02 full time equivalent (FTE) employees (in 2023: 26.69) on the payroll, representing an increase of 1.33 FTE. This was mainly due to the a paid traineeship running into 2024, and the balance of changes to existing staff members’ hours. These figures include two staff employed by TNI on behalf of external networks. At the end of the year, the total staff complement represented 31 individuals (in 2023: 32), with the difference being the end of one of the traineeships.

Paid traineeships continued in 2024. These are 0.89 – 1.0 FTE positions at minimum wage for six months each. This year, we prioritised training in Communications and Events Organising. We were pleased to work with trainees from Russia and India, who learned much in helping to organise TNI’s 50th celebrations. Evaluations indicate it was a very mutually satisfactory experience.

TNI takes seriously its value of being a caring organisation. One staff member was booked off ill for an extended period, with every effort made to support their recovery and gradual reintegration into the workplace. Two others were granted unpaid leave to take care of personal matters.

TNI uses as its guideline the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CAO) for the Care and Welfare Sector in The Netherlands. Staff receive an incremental increase for each year of service, and any salary increases agreed in the CAO. In 2024, staff saw 4% salary increases from 1 July. The ratio of the lowest:highest gross salary was 1:1.88 (calculated on the basis of full-time equivalent, and assuming equal years of service).

There is a training budget set at 1% of the personnel budget, and guided by a training policy. In 2024, TNI spent € 16,819 on training. External trainers were brought in for training on planning, monitoring and evaluation, as well as fundraising. A four-person team was trained as office emergency first responders, as is required by regulation. Nine individuals benefited from four different trainings in communications, financial resilience, fundraising and two received coaching. In addition, staff also self-organised weekly lunch-time accelerator sessions for skills shares and self-education purposes.

The costs of the employees on the payroll rose by 17% in 2024. This was due to the increase in FTEs, and salary increases, with concomitant increases in the costs of pension contributions and employers’ taxes and social security contributions.

Volunteers and Interns

Volunteers are paid an honorarium in line with Dutch tax regulations. TNI had 6 volunteers in the course of 2024. Half of our volunteers are retired people who have kindly volunteered to take on such tasks as gardening, handyman, and general office support. Others donated their time to supporting communications and programmes.

Interns, defined as students, are also paid an honorarium in line with Dutch norms. We worked with three interns in 2024 studying in The Netherlands, Germany and USA.

Consultants

TNI contracted a total of 29 consultants in 2024, of whom 69% were women and one is non-binary. They worked from Morocco, Tunisia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, USA, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, UK and the Netherlands. 69% of our consultants are considered to be regular programme team members. They are treated equally with payroll staff, with calculation of their fees pegged to TNI salary policy, compensation added for social security and pension contributions, and then adjusted for local costs of living (source: www.numbeo.com). They are responsible for paying their own taxes.

Staffing of Networks

TNI hosts two networks, where staff are either on TNI’s payroll or contracted on a freelance basis. These are:

• Handel Anders Network (Netherlands), two coordinators are on TNI’s payroll.
• European Trade Justice Coalition, one coordinator is contracted by TNI.