The BCI appoints new Board Chair – Heather Merchan MBCI
On 1st December 2022 the BCI Board met to ratify me as the incoming Chair of the Board of Directors. The Chair role is fulfilled by an elected board member, and each Chair serves a two-year tenure. Two years passes quickly and, as I commence my journey, I want to thank Christopher Horne for his dedication and service as Chair for the past 2 years. Elected board members are volunteers and Chris has dedicated a huge amount of his time, knowledge and skills to steer the BCI through challenging times. Chris’ tenure will be remembered for his work to ensure good corporate governance, prioritizing the health of the organization, as well as strong leadership despite uncertainty and unpredictability. Please do join me in thanking Chris for his dedication and service to the Institute and professional community.
I also want to recognise and thank Luke Bird for his service as an elected board member over the last three years. As Luke concluded his tenure, he described the role as both a challenge and an honour to fulfil. Luke’s knowledge, perspectives and passion for the profession have strengthened the Board and he will be missed.
Glen Redstall has served as Chair of the BCI Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (FARCom) since its inception and will now transition to the role of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.
The BCI is in a stronger position financially than it has ever been. The education and training market is growing significantly, our thought leadership is achieving wider recognition with a larger audience, corporate relationships are expanding, and our membership is stable and ripe for growth.
I start my term as Chair with a clear set of strategic goals and the resources to commit to achieving them. Our strategy has member experience and member value at its core. We are setting targets which will result in a visible improvement in the BCI’s offering to members including CPD and mentoring platforms, an expanded range of Special Interest Groups, increasing member-only content, and building increasingly supportive relationships with the Chapters.
We have listened to member feedback and are committed to weaving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion into all aspects of BCI strategy and operations. The BCI has recruited staff with the expertise to make our vision a reality, along with board representation to guide the implementation of our vision. We are running workshops for the board and all staff to reinforce this strategy and embed the principles.
Thought leadership is at the heart of the BCI’s reputation. We are investing in growing the team to continue the research papers that most of you know us for, but also evolving member-led research through Next Practice and Special Interest Groups. We will strive to recognise our ambition of becoming the interface between academic knowledge and practice in the resilience field with the launch of our Research Foundation.
2023 will also see the launch of the latest Good Practice Guidelines. Work on this is advanced and the BCI is already looking to the future of the GPG and its transition into an “evergreen” document, which will be updated as frequently as the need arises. As well as this, we are working on a GPG for Resilience and will breathe fresh life into the Resilience Alliance which has been in a holding pattern whilst the respective members navigated the pandemic. Arising from all this work is additional scope to develop our education and training services. We are planning an advanced CBCI for experienced practitioners alongside several other courses that focus on the resilience space.
I also want to formally welcome Willem Hoekstra and Elaine Nudd to the Board of Directors. This was the first board election where voting was opened to the entire certified member base, instead of a limited group of active volunteers - a further step forward in the evolution of our governance.
Willem and Elaine will shortly be joined on the Global Board by the first successful candidate of our new Future Leaders Scheme. This is designed to present a unique development opportunity for an individual in the early stages of their Business Continuity and resilience career, whether the candidate is in their first professional role or has made a recent career change into the sector. The voluntary role is a non-voting 2-year position on the Global Board. The individual will gain exposure into, and ability to influence, strategic leadership discussions and decisions. In return, the BCI will benefit from insight into a segment of the membership which does not normally have a voice at Board level, with fresh perspectives from a new entrant into our profession.
The BCI is in a strong position, with the strategic vision and operational capability to enable evolution. As a membership organization it is you, our members, that further strengthen our capability. Thank you to all of you that are contributing to the evolution of the BCI, the profession, and the member value being delivered. Together we can contribute to, and benefit from, the evolution of our Institute. December marks a time of change for the Board of Directors, and we are enthused and excited for the opportunities ahead.
I look forward to updating you after our next Board meeting in early February.
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About the author
Heather Merchan
Global Business Continuity & Crisis Management Lead
Corporate security & resilience leader specializing in business continuity, crisis management and policy and standards. Financial Services and Big 4 background. Resilience Lead for the Deloitte Global Security Office.
Chair of the BCI Board of Directors.
Expert on ISO Technical Committee 292 – evolving security & resilience international standards.
Imperial College Executive MBA graduate with a passion for solving challenges and empowering people and change.
