Message from the Trustees

Pursuing a Strategic Vision for the Institute

It is just about a year since we met at the Hallam Conference Centre in London to consider the strategic options available to the Bayswater Institute. Since that time a lot has happened but it is only now coming together in a way that means we can pursue the strategic visions that we discussed. We have been successful in securing a number of contracts in our specialism of health and social care but for some time we were hampered by a lack of funds to take more strategic steps. The situation has now changed, however, and I am delighted to be able to tell you that at long last we have received our inheritance under the terms of Lisl Klein’s will. We now have a firm financial base, therefore, on which to build our future.

I can tell you that, as a result, we have already made two key appointments to the staff. The first is Professor Simon Bell, who will take up the position of CEO of the Institute from 1st September. Simon is well known to the Institute having been its director from 2007 to 2009. Simon is currently Professor of Innovation and Methodology at the Open University and his brief is to significantly broaden the reach of the Institute by developing new partnerships, expanding our professional development portfolio, extending and innovating the ‘Working Conference’ and developing our methods.

The second appointment is Adam Hoare as Executive Director of Sociotechnical Systems. Adam has extensive experience of technology development and implementation latterly working with health and social care providers. He was previously a client of the Institute when he was the managing director at Red Embedded Systems Ltd. It was then that he discovered that what he had been advocating for many years was a sociotechnical systems approach and that we were the place to join in order to really develop that approach. Adam’s role is to open up new lines of work for the Institute and in this capacity he will both broaden our client base and complement Simon in bringing fresh ideas and approaches to the Institute.

Simon and Adam are now working with Bill and Ken to put flesh on our strategic ambitions and to present a new more contemporary image of the Institute (although very firmly rooted in the objectives and values Lisl set out for the Institute). Expect to see a new version of the website in the next month or so. Chris retired as the Institute Administrator last September and Priya Davda is now fulfilling an administrative role for the Institute although we hope she will resume as an active research member of staff before too long.