Preparing for change

I wanted to take this opportunity to write to you all now that I have had three months to get my feet under the table as the British Psychological Society's new Chief Executive. I also want to welcome Professor Kate Bullen as the new incoming President of the Society for 2018/19. It would also be remiss of me to not take this opportunity to thank our outgoing President Nicola Gale for all her hard work in steering the Society through a period of significant change.

On the subject of Change, I wanted to share some of the development over the last three months. A key priority has been how we deliver the structural reform; this has been something that the Society has been looking into for some time and I wanted to inject some urgency and momentum. I have therefore appointed an external change consultant who will be meeting with the member networks throughout August and September to inform members of our plans, gather feedback and refine our thinking. The aim is to be able to present an agreed way forward in the autumn of 2018. Inevitably, the outcome of this process will also involve some internal restructuring of the Society to ensure that we have the right processes, knowledge and skills to deliver the change required. My ambition is to be able to present a detailed plan for the transformation of the BPS by the end of 2018.

Another key area that I have been focusing on is the wider reform of the governance of the Society. A number of changes have been planned or decided upon, which will include: the decision to appoint advisers to the Board of Trustees as and when appropriate; the establishment of Board sub-committees; and the agreement of a framework that allows the Board to delegate authority and responsibility to the leadership team within the Society. These changes are ongoing and will ultimately enable the Board of Trustees to focus on their role, which is centred on managing the strategy, risk and governance of the Society. Looking ahead to the next few months I will be reviewing the terms of reference and mandate of the 'policy' boards and reviewing the wider composition of the Board of Trustees.

In the past three months my time has largely been spent in information-gathering mode and I am now, with my Senior Management Team, beginning to formulate a plan that drives the Society forward into a modern relevant organisation. I will be in a position to share my plans with you all later in the year.

Sarb Bajwa
Chief Executive 
The British Psychological Society
[email protected]