The president’s view

I joined the BACD back in 2004, and have been involved in one way or another ever since. I’ve always felt strongly about representing the profession and the BACD is an organisation that I firmly believe in. My first role was to set up the regional study clubs after which I moved to sponsorship and trade. For the last couple of years I have sat on the board as scientific director, where it’s been my great privilege to work alongside some really dedicated, passionate individuals helping to grow the BACD into the organisation it is today. Now, in my new role as president, I hope to continue the good work done by my predecessors by strengthening our ties with other societies and organisations so we can offer our members even more opportunities to grow and develop within their careers.

The BACD has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. We started out in 2003 with only 80 members, and now 10 years on we have almost 800 members and continue to grow year on year. When I look back and compare the academy in the early days to where it is now, it is like chalk and cheese. I remember we used to pay a PR company for exposure in the national press – now the media come to us. This goes to show the strong reputation we have built over the years, and this is something I hope to continue and grow over my coming year as president.