BOSS Leaders of the Future set for New Industry Horizons

A pioneering new group has been established to drive forward change and fresh ideas in the office supplies industry.
The Leaders of the Future committee was formed when a number of young volunteers with a desire to help shape the next generation of office supplies stepped forward following the BOSS Leaders of the Future Conference earlier this year.
The committee, which had its first formal meeting last month, is chaired by Haley-mae Benton of Avery, a frontline speaker at the 2017 conference. It has already arrived at some key action points. These include categories such as training and skills development, dealer engagement, networking, and communications.
Haley-mae said: “We all know the industry needs to change and develop, but it can be hard to know where to start. But one thing is clear – this is a group of young, talented millennials who are experts at adapting to change in their day jobs. They are bringing this passion and drive to our committee.
“There is a real willingness to experiment with new approaches, and we’ve had some great ideas already. I’m really proud and excited to be working alongside them all and can’t wait to see how they’re going to help influence the next generation of office supplies.”
Phil Lawson, CEO of the BOSS Federation, added: “While our new committee has enjoyed meeting once a year at the BOSS Leaders of the Future conference, they wanted to be more actively involved in addressing the needs of the next generation of industry leaders. This is the first time we have provided a regular forum for the younger voices within our sector to add to our other special interest groups within BOSS.
“When I used to judge the Young Professional category for the BOSS Awards, it was obvious to me that we had a rich vein of young talent across our members’ companies and it’s energising to be working more closely with some of them now.”
The group currently consists of Haley-mae Benton (Chair), Avery; Joshua Allsopp, OPI; Emily Anten, Fellowes; Victoria Brecht, Avery; Ian Buckley, Prima; Steve Dennis, Prima; Callum Edwards, Prima; Aaron Hopkinson, Brother; Yasmin Ollive, EO Group; Paul Simpson, Renz; Richard Smithers, Spicers; Travis White, Wordflow; Richard Lockley, Superstat and Scott Woodward, Nemo.
They will be posting updates of their progress on LinkedIn, and are due to meet again on 14 December to continue developing their ideas.
If you are interested in joining the committee, contact Haley-mae Benton on: hbenton@avery.com.