Forward thinking

1 October 2013

It is two years since I was initially appointed interim chief executive of the BIFM, before being confirmed as chief executive in February 2012.

We've all been witness to so much positive change during those 24 months. The anecdotal feedback I get from members on a daily basis reminds me of how much we have achieved and how much we bring to the profession, something I am very proud of.

However, this column is not about the past, it is about the future. It is about our commitment to our members - it is about sharing our strategy and vision.

In 2012, the BIFM Medium Term Strategy (MTS) Board Working Group and the board defined a new set of objectives that focused in on the core offering of the BIFM to guide the route the institute would take in 2013-2015.

This included the need to develop a new mission, vision and values to reflect this reinvigorated focus on the future, and international development to support our existing international membership base and develop the global facilities management community.

As a professional body, our remit and responsibility is far-reaching and we take this position seriously. We are here to represent and develop FM professionals as a whole, members and non-members, and those with FM responsibilities who may not call themselves FMs. We do this to enhance the capability, understanding and impact they can achieve for the organisations they work for.

This also applies to the industries they work within and provides benefits to the economy and society. In order to fulfil this remit, we will strive to build our organisation beyond our past status as membership body and learning provider, to become the authoritative voice for the profession as a whole. We will work with relevant partners and our network of individuals and organisations to focus on developing relevant, independent and credible insight, policy and media comment.

We will take into account the different perspectives these wider audiences require.

If we are to make a real impact, we must not simply talk to ourselves. Instead, we must prove the value that our profession can make in increased productivity, performance, reduced risk and behavioural change in a more socially aware, collaborative and connected world.

To assist the institute in our new goals, I am pleased to welcome James Sutton as our new interim commercial director. James brings a wealth of institute experience to BIFM, following 10 years at the Chartered Institute of Marketing in such positions as director of corporate services, director of strategic development and most recently acting chief executive.
We will keep you informed of further developments and look forward to taking the next steps
on this journey together.