It’s been a pleasure!
In his final blog as BCIA President, Graeme Rees discusses his belief that an increasing level of member engagement at all levels bodes well for the future of the organisation.
Looking back on my very first blog as BCIA President it was my feeling then that better engagement with our members was the only way in which we could achieve real progress and accomplish our goals.
The increasing level of member engagement, therefore, has been extremely pleasing to witness over the past couple of years. It was perhaps nowhere more evident than at the 2023 BCIA awards, with a record number of nominations received and almost 600 people from the industry joining the evening to recognise and celebrate the deserving people, companies and innovations that took away awards on the evening. We are now looking forward to this year’s event, which will take place in a new venue, at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. With the deadline for entries now passed the tough job of judging will soon take place – it seems to get harder and harder every year – which is a fantastic reflection of the industry.
It’s not all about the glory of course. As I have mentioned before, the BCIA relies on its volunteers and it is only their passion and commitment to the industry they are a part of that will support our success as an organisation. I was delighted to see a record number of candidates standing for the vacancies on the Management Committee towards the end of last year. The results were extremely close and led to the Management Committee taking the decision to appoint three new Committee members for 2024. Clare Grams of Westminster Controls, Simon Ward of Distech and Lewis Locke of BGES bring a broad range of skills and experience to help direct the work of the Association and importantly represent the views of members. I extend a warm welcome to Clare, Simon and Lewis and look forward to working with them.
Taking the lead
I am confident that further engagement will be boosted by the recent launch of our Inspired Leaders Programme, a specially designed industry-centric leadership training programme through which delegates will benefit from understanding of the challenges and opportunities of leading within the BEMS industry. This initiative is something we are exploring to expand our training offer beyond technical courses and to offer a broader curriculum that members will be able to take advantage of.
This year we say goodbye to two members of the Management Committee, with Gavin Holvey standing down and Terry Sharp’s term ending in March, having served the Association for the past six years. It is also the end of my term as President, with Stacey Lucas taking the helm in March and Jen Vickers stepping into the Vice-President role. I hand over to Stacey at an exciting time for the industry and Association which, following the successful vote to incorporate BCIA as a Company Limited by Guarantee, is in a very strong position and ready to excel in its role as the leading trade association for the sector.
With a general election not far away it is more important than ever that the BCIA continues to set out a clear policy position for a new government. We now have valuable assistance from Gemserv, who we appointed last year to provide support with policy responses and consultation. Gemserv’s work focuses on the development of sector positioning information aimed at raising awareness of the value of the building controls industry with policymakers, intermediaries and end users.
We have made great strides, with a clear call for Class A Building Controls Systems to be more clearly specified in the Future Building Standard through Part L and Part F amendments for new build premises. However, there continues to be a gap in mandating controls within the retrofit space - so our work in 2024 will champion this - both with policymakers and through raising awareness of the benefits with end-user and intermediary audiences.
Proud
My chosen charity for the BCIA to champion during my tenure has been the Teenage Cancer Trust. I am extremely grateful to everybody who has got involved to support this important cause which is very close to my heart. Keep an eye on the BCIA website in the next few weeks as the total amount raised will soon be revealed.
On a final note, I would like to thank everybody who has supported, guided and helped me these past two years. I have been very proud to have served as President but it has given me even more pride to witness at close hand the dedication and work ethic of so many of our members in making it such an active and dynamic organisation. It’s been a pleasure!