British Franchise Association membership elects new board of Directors

The British Franchise Association (bfa) held its AGM in Birmingham on 11 December, which included the announcement of the results of elections to its board of directors and forum chair positions, alongside the appointments of its committee chairs for 2015.

The bfa board is made up of 13 franchisors; 3 affiliate (professional adviser) members, at least one being a legal representative; 3 franchisees; and the bfa director general, Brian Smart. All franchisor and affiliate positions on the bfa’s board are through nomination and election by the membership, with those elected then appointing franchisee representatives.

This system ensures the bfa is run by its members, representing all stakeholders to the sector, for the benefit of the franchise industry. It also gives all involved parties with a passion for ethical franchising the opportunity to contribute to the bfa’s governance structure and direction.

The elected board members are:

Chair
Simon Bartholomew, Oscar Pet Foods
Re-elected Full Members
Sean Derrig, Chemex International
Newly elected Full Members
Trevor Brocklebank, Home Instead Senior Care
Brian Thorne, McDonald’s
Phil Gaffer, Premier Sport
Tony Marsh, Signs Express

Continuing Full Members
Alistair Wiggins, Pirtek Ltd
Mark Llewellyn, Revive! Auto Innovations
Shaun Thomson, Sandler Training
Duncan Berry, Choice Hotels
Michael Eyre, Blazes Renewables (board member for international affairs)

Associate Members
Lisa Curteis, Rosemary Bookkeeping
Rob Oyston, Sports Xtra

Affiliate Members
Stuart Walsh, Franchise Finance
Jane Masih, Owen White Solicitors
Brian Duckett, The Franchising Centre
Franchisee Representatives
Catharine Chalton, Home Instead Senior Care
Dave Padmore, McDonald’s
Mike Hurley, Dream Doors

Forum Chairs
bfa forums are regional meetings which facilitate best practice advice and knowledge-sharing amongst franchisors and advisers to the sector. Hosted in an open, inclusive and engaging format, forums are frequently cited as one of the key benefits of bfa membership by franchisors, with delegates benefiting from the experience of others as their franchise network matures and grows.

As highly experienced franchising professionals, forum chairs are elected by each region’s members and occupy a central role in the success of meetings. Women take three of the six forum chair positions for 2015.

The full list of those elected is:

North – Linda Price, Swimtime
Midlands – Steve Bramley, Rainbow International
South West – Helen Thompson QFP, No+Vello
London/South East – Tony Bowman QFP, etyres
Scotland – Suzie McCafferty, Platinum Wave
Affiliate – Carl Reader QFP, d&t chartered accountants

Committee Chairs
As is tradition, the AGM was followed by the first meeting of the new board and the confirmation of the chairs of the five bfa committees, which all comprise representation from franchisors, franchisees and affiliates. These committees feed into the board of directors, making recommendations for key elements of the Association’s strategy and operations.

Chairs for the coming year are:

Quality Standards – Trevor Brocklebank
Finance and General Purposes – Sean Derrig
Consultative Forum – Lisa Curteis
Member Services – Brian Duckett
Member Recruitment and Retention – Mark Llewellyn

The bfa would like to thank all outgoing board members and forum chairs for their time, dedication and exceptional work in their roles, as well as welcoming all newcomers who will ensure the progress of the Association and franchising in general continues into the next year and beyond.