ITI Chair shortlisted for prestigious award
The Memcom Excellence Awards celebrate the very best of the membership sector, so we are delighted that Nicki Bone has been shortlisted in the Best President/ Chair category in recognition of her exceptional leadership, dedication, and impact on the ITI community and wider profession.
Nicki joined the ITI Board in 2019, and was quick to get involved, taking on the key role of liaising with our 40+ Networks and rapidly building a strong relationship between the Board and our Network volunteers.
In 2020, Nicki was appointed Vice Chair, and then in May 2022 she became ITI's Chair. As such she is a key member of an all-female leadership team (CEO, Chair and two Vice Chairs), something of a rarity in the professional membership sector.
Fellow Board members speak highly of Nicki’s leadership and support. One member noted, “Nicki doesn’t fit the traditional mould we’re used to seeing for this role. Her real-life experience working in sales before becoming a full-time translator is very inspiring and I feel is more representative of contemporary entrants to the translation and interpreting profession."
Nicki has guided the Board through some challenging times, including the pandemic and subsequent recovery period, as well as the cost-of-living crisis, ensuring ITI remained financially stable throughout. She has a strong vision and has been crucial in guiding and supporting the rest of the Board to think and act strategically.
In 2022 Nicki played a key role in the development and delivery of a freelance rates research project that helped ITI and other stakeholders to investigate current practices regarding rates, working hours, attitudes and the future prospects of translators. The findings showed that translators are generally better off when they are members of professional organisations, such as ITI.
Nicki has also encouraged the Board to take a proactive approach to the rapid evolution in machine translation technologies, helping members to see this as an opportunity to improve their working practices, encouraging them to invest in upskilling themselves, and promoting the benefits of commissioning human translators rather than relying on machine translation.
She also initiated a collaborative training partnership with the University of Surrey and supported the formation of an international working group to address the impact of AI on the profession.
Nicki continues to be instrumental in developing the Institute’s Ambassadors Scheme, a wide-ranging project aimed at improving ITI’s outreach to businesses and raising the profile of the translation and interpreting professions.
Sara Robertson, CEO of ITI, says of Nicki, “Nicki provides the right balance of support and constructive challenge to me in my role as CEO. She demonstrates a genuine passion for ITI and its members, embodying our professional values while ensuring the smooth running of the organisation.”
Nicki is a very visible but approachable leader and is well known to ITI members as a staunch advocate for the profession and for professionalism. She is equally respected for her willingness to roll up her sleeves and tackle challenges head-on. There is no doubt that her leadership has been transformative for ITI.
Nicki’s term as Chair comes to an end in April 2025, so being shortlisted for the Memcom Excellence Award is well-deserved recognition of her many contributions to the translation and interpreting profession. Winners will be announced at the Memcom Excellence Awards Ceremony on 26th September in London.
ITI has also been shortlisted in the category Best Digital Transformation. We were nominated by our IT partners Pixl8 for our digital platform, including our directory.