A message from BPS President and President-Elect

12 January 2012

It is with regret that one of our first duties as President and President-Elect must be to announce that our Chief Executive, Kate Baillie will be leaving the Society later this year.

Kate has accepted the position of Chief Executive of the Biochemical Society, and her last day at BPS will be 1 June 2012.

Kate was appointed as the Society's first Chief Executive in October 2007 with a remit to professionalize operations at Angel Gate and to make the Society more externally focused. I am sure you will agree, that during her four years in post, Kate has transformed the Society's operations and taken the organization to a new level.

Highlights of her time in post include a complete restructuring of the BPS office to ensure a structure was in place to deliver an ambitious strategy; re-negotiation of our journal contracts to bring the journals together under one publisher with a greatly enhanced, more stable revenue stream; development of a new website and communications function, including the introduction of pro-active public relations activities; the development of social network channels and public engagement activities; the formation of closer links and joint activities with a wide range of other Societies, both national and international, and the development, with members of the clinical section, Department of Health and the Medical Schools Council of both Prescribe and the Prescribing Skills Assessment.

Kate's leadership, management and development of BPS staff, matched by the provision of improved facilities at Angel Gate, mean that BPS is more equipped than ever before to deliver our core objectives to a high standard, while responding to change with agility and purpose.

Kate's departure will be a great loss to the BPS. I'm also sure that you will join us in congratulating her on her new role, and wishing her every success in her future career.

We are already discussing plans to recruit Kate's successor, and will put in place interim arrangements if necessary, to ensure that the transition occurs with minimum disruption to BPS activities. We will be keeping members up to date with developments, and look forward to confirming a new Chief Executive of our Society in the coming months.

Professor Phil Routledge, President, British Pharmacological Society
Professor Humphrey Rang, President-Elect, British Pharmacological Society