Update from the BWY Chief Exec, Pierre Bibby Autumn 2007

Update from the BWY Chief Exec, Pierre Bibby

Dear Member

First, some members have asked me about the practicalities of how issues are considered by Committee. The matters the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Education Committees consider are put forward in the form of written reports. The reports set out the background and context to the issue to be considered, and identify in general terms the decisions the Committee is being asked to consider. The reports are sent out at least ten days before the Committee meeting to allow members time to read and think about them.

At the meeting each report is presented verbally to Committee by the report writer. The Committee is then able to ask questions about the report and have an informed debate before making a decision.

All Committee decisions are then written in the form of Minutes, which are concise and accurate, so that there is a permanent record of all decisions taken. The Minutes ensure that there is a factual point of reference to inform future management and decision-making and help the BWY to be an accountable and transparent organisation.

Moving on, the NEC met in early July and considered a diverse range of issues over two and a half days. The issues considered reflect the modernising framework agreed in the Four Year Development Plan (2007-2011) sent to you in the Spring 2007 edition of Spectrum.

There is insufficient space here to condense the two and half days into one article. However, to give you a flavour of the issues considered at the meeting, the matter of determining the most appropriate corporate vehicle for the BWY as it grows as an organisation, and yoga continues to increase in popularity, was debated at length. The NEC considered how best the two main strands of the BWY’s work, the delivery of a range of services internally to its 8500 members along with meeting its obligations and responsibilities as the National Governing Body for Yoga in the UK, might be met in future. It was agreed that external consultancy support be sought in respect of the legal, financial and taxation aspects of any potential changes, and to drive this work forward a sub-committee was instituted comprising Chair Helen (or vice chair Sandi), treasurer Phillip, education chair Lesley, a representative from the regional officers and Diane Kendall given her experience as both an officer and a DCT.

In contrast, the BWY’s marketing and communications were considered and decisions taken including the future commissioning of articles from sources outside the BWY to broaden the appeal of Spectrum across the membership. Again, to improve services to members it was decided that in conjunction with the work to improve the Central Office computer database, we will move towards changing the membership subscription year from the 1st November annually, to a year aligning with individual member’s applications or subscription renewals.

Looking at the Minutes I see that over the two and half days of the July NEC meeting, fifty-one important decisions were taken. However, I am mindful that to express a weekend’s work as “fifty-one decisions were taken” does not do justice to the time and effort of the BWY volunteers who work on committees and those in many other roles and capacities, nationally and regionally.

Therefore, in conclusion, as CEO, I would like to express my thanks to everyone for their contribution, and assure the membership that the NEC’s decisions will contribute to the development and ongoing process of modernisation of the Wheel while retaining its tradition and heritage.
Take care

Pierre Bibby
Chief Executive Officer