Do you know someone who could be our future President?

It seems like two minutes ago that I took a phone call from Peter Jones, the then President of BVA, to ask me if I would accept the nomination from the Electoral College to stand for the position of Junior Vice President. It was something that I had not considered prior to the call, but I was very proud to be asked, and indeed it has been a privilege to serve as BVA President. The Electoral College will convene again in early October to repeat the process and identify a candidate who has the requisite skills and experience to complement the officer team and, following approval by Council and the AGM, become the next JVP.

Member consultation

As part of BVA’s governance review we are looking at this process to see if it can be improved and more visible to the membership. There are various different options being considered that would improve the transparency of process and potentially include elements of election and selection. One option would be a widening of the membership of the Electoral College, which currently consists of the officer team and three most recent past presidents. Under the current system the Electoral College considers a long list of potential candidates against a number of criteria and, after a very thorough debate, decides who the strongest candidate is.

We are currently drawing up proposals for a more open and transparent process and we plan to consult BVA members later this year with a view to introducing a revised procedure in 2016.

Making your nominations

In the meantime we are asking you to make nominations for strong candidates for the post of BVA Junior Vice President (2016/17) direct to me at [email protected], so that they can be included in the list of potential candidates. The closing date is 25 September.

The time commitment varies through the officer term, from two days a week as Junior Vice President and Senior Vice President, to four days a week whilst serving as President. I can honestly say it’s been a hugely rewarding, if sometimes challenging, role and a fantastic opportunity to give something back to the profession. I am more than happy to discuss the position further and information about the process is available on our website.