A message from the new head of BOSS

What a privilege to be taking over the position of BOSS chief executive. I’m two days in and very much looking forward to meeting many of you at our Members’ Day held at Stationers’ Hall on 16 July.

Thank you to Phil Lawson, who together with Geoffrey Betts and an invigorated BOSS board have done a fantastic job in leading the organisation over the last three years. I’m also delighted to welcome Simon Drakeford in his new role as chairman.

BOSS sits at the heart of our industry, making it uniquely placed to help strengthen it by enabling an open, collaborative ecosystem of people and ideas – equipping members with the resources and knowledge required to move their businesses forward – in addition to championing all sectors of our industry.

I’m passionate about engagement, ensuring that membership organisations like BOSS provide tangible support for their members – enabling them to develop and upskill their teams, save money and be connected to people and ideas that inspire.

BOSS is here to:

• Facilitate connections – connecting members to each other, and also to new ideas. It is the role of BOSS to create worthwhile, fun and enjoyable experiences to inspire collaboration and effective working relationships throughout the whole supply chain, and I’m pleased to see this already happening in a number of ways. Our Single Use Plastic, Synergy and Manufacturers Forums are a great example of this, as are our Committees and key events such as the Leaders of the Future Conference, Members’ Day and the BOSS Industry Awards.

• Think ahead for the industry – to inspire better decision making by providing access to expert insight and information, and also to ensure that your staff have the skills they need to best equip them for the future. BOSS currently delivers excellent Management Training, and I’ll be ensuring that members who pay the Apprenticeship Levy are using this most effectively to future-proof their teams. I’ll also be looking at what we need to do to ensure that the great training that’s available now continues to be relevant to the future as business needs evolve.

• Understand what matters in your business so we can provide you with the best support in a way that it is most accessible to you. I’ll be making sure you can access all of your core support resources easily through our website, and that the right people in your teams are receiving the content they need to see.

• Champion excellence within our industry, which includes celebrating and sharing your successes – so make sure you let us know about them!

This leads me nicely on to our BOSS Industry Awards, to be held on 28 November. Yes, it’s that time of year when I am calling upon you to submit your entries, and I’m delighted to say we have extended the deadline to the 16 August, so what are you waiting for? It’s your time to shine!

I’m really looking forward to meeting you over the coming months to fully understand your business needs and how we at BOSS can best support you. Please do get in touch with me and I hope you’ll join me on this exciting journey to shape our industry.

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