President foreword | PPC89 November 2017

What a year for BPCA! I guess this is why they say the only real constant is change. 

The biggest ever PestEx, the first-ever industry awards (complete with our 75th year celebrations), independently audited servicing members, lobbying efforts in Brussels and Westminster, the National Survey, a new website, new training, new members, new (and some continued) challenges for the sector – and now the departure of our CEO.

As we enter the final few weeks of 2017, I believe that it is right to take some time to reflect upon our successes over the last twelve months, as we turn our attention to what lies ahead in 2018, and beyond.

A current key priority for myself, the Officers, and the Executive Board, is of course the recruitment of a new CEO for the Association, as we prepare for Simon to leave us in January of next year. During his seven years with BPCA, Simon has had a transformational effect upon the Association. With the support of a strong staff team, Simon’s leadership has helped innovate, diversify and grow the Association into the leading national trade body for pest management in the UK. I’d like to personally thank him for all that he has done during his time with us, and he leaves us with our very best wishes for the future.

So what next? Well, as an update, at the time of writing, we are making good progress against our plan, in our search for our next CEO, and are confident that we can find the right person to lead the Association on the next stage of our development. During this period, we are fortunate that we have such a strong and committed staff team in place, and the great news is that this will mean ‘business as usual’ for all of our members, in providing the usual high standards of support and representation to our membership, across our industry.

Since we last spoke, the Board and staff team have continued to work hard to develop a new three-year strategy, which will both challenge, and build upon our position within industry, with our members’ interests remaining at the heart of what we do. Remember my ‘engagement’ word from last time? Well, I hope to be in a position to share the details of our new strategy with you very soon, along with a new ‘BPCA Diary’ of events, which hopefully gets us all up-to-speed on the workings and timescales involved for the existing governance structure at the Association.

So as I wrap this up, many thanks for the support you’ve given me so far in my term of office, and I’d like to wish you, your families and colleagues all the very best for 2018 – here’s to another great year for BPCA!

Tom Holmes
BPCA President, Head of Durable Product Development, Pelsis Group

16 November 2017  |  PPC89

Source: PPC89