BCI Midlands Chapter: Building connections and strengthening support for resilience professionals
Following the recent launch of the new BCI Midlands Chapter we are pleased to introduce the new committee members and outline their objectives for the Chapter over the coming months.
Leading the Chapter is Rob Cooke MBCI who brings his expertise as an ISO22301 lead auditor and certified trainer for the BCI. He previously led the East Midlands Chapter and in this new role, he hopes to boost resilience practices across the region. Supporting him is Vice Leader Jag Gogna MBCI, who brings over two decades of experience in business continuity and operational resilience. Jag first joined the BCI in 2000 and his committee involvement began in 2005 as vice leader of the North Midlands Chapter.
The Midlands Chapter has a wide range of experienced committee members on board. Helen Scott AMBCI, has been involved in the financial services business continuity industry since 2008 and is excited about all of the possibilities the new Midlands chapter will offer. Lyndsey Orton MBCI, currently Business Continuity and Resilience Manager at LRQA, brings academic and field expertise with over a decade in resilience roles across various industries, and Russell Williams FBCI has held leadership roles in the resilience sector across a wide range of sectors including finance, technology, retail, and manufacturing and distribution.
Rounding out the committee are BCI mentor Claire Powles MBCI, currently Head of Resilience at Gamma with over 20 years of global resilience experience and Andy Osborne MBCI, Consultancy Director at Acumen, who has extensive BCM expertise and focuses on making business continuity practices accessible and practical for everyday practitioners.
This new team aims to create a supportive and informative Chapter that strengthens resilience across the Midlands and supports members through networking and knowledge-sharing.
Chapter objectives: a look to the future of Midlands’ resilience
The new committee is keen to focus on future objectives that best support regional resilience professionals. Here are some of the initiatives the committee plans to implement:
Networking Opportunities: Networking helps build engagement and promotes resilience through shared experiences and advice. The committee hopes practitioners will benefit from networking opportunities the Chapter offers. Helen Scott said “Get out and grow your network. This work can be quite isolating at times, many of us are the only people in our organisations who really get it and having a strong external network can be invaluable.”
Staying relevant: The resilience industry is a fast-moving sector, but Chapter involvement can help practitioners stay up to date and relevant. Jag Gogna is keen to ensure the Chapter keeps abreast of new trends and developments. On this matter, Claire Powels suggests “When implementing a new resilience programme, ensure you obtain strategic level buy in and build your programme from the top – down.”
A support network: It’s often said that a resilience role is a lonely one, so the Chapter hopes to help support fellow professionals. Lindsay Orton said that just knowing there is a local group that you can reach out to for support and advice is invaluable, and Russell Williams added “I think the creation of a new Midlands chapter gives us a massive and exciting opportunity to reach far more of our colleagues and sharing a much more diverse set of skills and experience.”
Events: Events are a key way that Chapters engage with their members and the Chapter aims to hold three to four hybrid events each year showcasing experienced speakers. In addition, several smaller drop-in surgeries where members can discuss challenges and thoughts on the latest news or industry insights are planned. Andy Osborne said “Tap into the huge amount of knowledge and experience that exists within the BCI membership. A great way to do this is to attend Chapter meetings.”
Leader Rob Cooke and the committee extend a warm welcome to professionals who would like to join the Midlands Chapter or get more engaged with the committee. You can contact them on their BCI page or join the group on LinkedIn
More on
About the author
Rebecca Mathews
The BCI
