HeliPAD (A&P) will transform the London honours nominations process. It is entirely web-based, accessible via Rosetta, and replicates the present form and selection criteria. It went live on 1^st September 2021 for nominations for 2023 Metropolitan Grand Officers. Other ranks (e.g. LGR, SLGCR etc.) will follow shortly.

The process allows the user to manage all nominations for which he’s involved from a single dashboard and follows the established pattern: the Sponsor (usually Secretary / ScribeE) drafts the form, after which it is automatically passed to two Supporters (Installed Masters in the unit) for confirmation.  The unit’s Visiting Officer (VO) is also able to sponsor a nomination as at present.

Key changes include:

• • no longer need to enter all nominee details: they are automatically pre-populated from Adelphi;
• • ability to upload candidate’s photograph;
• • a draft can be circulated to the Supporters and VO for comment;
• • no requirement for ‘wet’ or digital signatures;
• • As soon as one person has completed his action, the next involved automatically receives an email notification inviting them to log in to complete their part in the process;
• • Letters of support will normally be sent directly to the unit’s MGI, who will summarise them for consideration by the selection board: and
• • Team leaders may propose members of their team to MetGSec, who may then Sponsor them as Central Appointments.

As of now, the free-text parts of the form are crucial, they give the Sponsor an opportunity to draw out the key attributes – with evidence – that make the nominee worthy of selection. Please remember that notifications will be sent to the preferred email address recorded in Adelphi, so Sponsors must ensure that these are up-to-date.

A fuller process description may be found in the Honours section of Rosetta.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 46 October 2021 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 46.