Practical Action is a registered UK charity, no 247257, and a company limited by guarantee and not having share capital (registration no 871954). The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association.

One third (or the number nearest to one third) of the trustees retire by rotation each year. The Trustees have the power to appoint any person to be a Trustee so long as the total number of trustees do not exceed the number fixed in accordance with the Articles of Association. Such a person so appointed holds office until the next following AGM at which time he/she shall be eligible for re-election.

Objectives, mission statements and activities

The objects of the charitable company, as set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association are:

“the advancement of education and the relief of poverty by the promotion and advancement (in ways that are charitable) of knowledge of technical, economic and social science, and for other charitable purposes beneficial to the community.”

The charity’s Mission Statement, approved at the Annual General Meeting in 1998, states:

“Our mission is to build the technical skills of poor people in developing countries enabling them to improve the quality of their lives and that of future generations.”

The activities undertaken to further the charitable objects and achieve our mission are as follows:

Practical Action works together with communities to deliver practical answers to poverty. Activities include, technology development, the pilot testing and commercialisation of different technologies, technical assistance to other NGOs and community organisations, training, research and advocacy. Practical Action works across a variety of technologies with particular focus on food processing, food production, building materials and shelter, energy, mining, manufacturing, transport and disaster management. It also maintains a programme of work in policy research and analysis, including gender and technology and is developing new areas in the fields of information and communications technology, the environment and small-scale producers and urbanisation.

Practical Action disseminates information through many channels, including a technical enquiry service, international workshops, newsletters, journals and publications. It also engages in advocacy to influence the policy environment at local and international levels.

Organisational structure

Practical Action is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity in the UK, under the direction of a Board of Trustees. The senior management team, which has executive responsibilities, is called the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and it comprises the Chief Executive and twelve Directors, including seven Country and Regional Directors.

The charity has four wholly-owned trading subsidiaries, two of which are dormant.

Practical Action Publishing Ltd (formerly Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd) comprises book and journal publishing and book retailing via mail order and the internet (developmentbookshop.com). All these activities are in line with our charitable objectives and our ‘customers’ are mainly development professionals and academics worldwide.

Practical Action Consulting Ltd (formerly Intermediate Technology Consultants Ltd) provides high quality independent research and professional advice to clients including Governments, International Development Agencies, NGOs and private sector entities for the purpose of poverty reduction in countries in Africa, Asia and South America. Practical Action Consulting operates in two main strategic areas of technology and development: Rural and Urban Infrastructure and Increasing Enterprise Opportunities and Access to Markets

ATS Property Holdings (Pvt) Ltd [Sri Lanka subsidiary] - dormant
Intermediate Technology Products Ltd - dormant

Secretary and registered office

Pat Adey
Practical Action
Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development
Bourton-on-Dunsmore,
Rugby,
Warwickshire,
CV23 9QZ
United Kingdom

Chief Executive Simon Trace

Company number 871954
Registered in England and Wales

Charity number 247257

VAT number 880 9924 76

Auditors
Horwath Clark Whitehill LLP, St Bride’s House, 10 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8EH

Principal Bankers
Barclays Bank plc, North Street, Rugby, Warwickshire

Solicitors
Bates Wells and Braithwaite, Cheapside House, 138 Cheapside, London EC2V 6BB

Patron
HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB