New Structure at BDHQ

The countdown to the launch of phase II of BD’s transformational IT project is reaching its final stage. The new system will vastly improve the grading, qualification and results functionality for our Sport Operations Team and enhance the level of service we are able to deliver to members. This IT advancement has provided us with the opportunity to review our organisational structure at BD headquarters, alongside some new appointments.

The sport side will now be overseen by a Sport Operations Manager with the areas of rules, fixtures, competitions and championships, both national and international, covered by a team of seven. We are delighted to announce that Lou Jones, currently Regional Development Officer for the North West, has been promoted to take on the new manager’s position from 19 November onwards. Lou has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained from her time as RDO, with particular focus on working with our organisers and venues, making her ideally suited to this post.

On the membership front, a new role of Member Experience Manager has been devised to meet the ever changing needs of our members and the business. This new role will head a customer service team, providing support to members on any aspect of the sport, so that most queries can be dealt with by a single point of contact in the office. Phase III of our IT project, due for completion in Q1 in 2019, will deliver a CRM system that will facilitate the ability to handle membership renewals, horse registrations, eligibility, qualification or results queries seamlessly.

Rachel Smith, who has eight years of experience in BD, working in both the membership and sport teams, has been promoted to the new position with effect from 29 October onwards.

We will also be recruiting for a new Marketing Manager, in place of the former Commercial Manager role, to work closely with Rachel on driving membership and events, as well as provide support to our commercial partners and sponsors, ensuring that our marketing and promotional activity keeps pace as the sport continues to grow.

The BD Board has also sanctioned the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer to support the Chief Executive, to ensure that the day-to-day business continues to operate smoothly and with increased efficiency. Based full time at the BD HQ in Meriden, they will oversee the operation centrally, as well as provide the link between the office and our regional teams. The recruitment process for this position will commence in the next week. Importantly, the overall staffing costs and headcount will remain the same as before.

The revised BD Senior Management Structure is below:

 

BD Chief Executive Jason Brautigam commented; “We’re very excited about the launch of Phase II. Testing is going extremely well so far and the new system will hopefully alleviate many of the issues our members have experienced historically with their results and qualifications. Results will be more timely and accurate, plus qualification emails will be sent out as results are gained. A more efficient IT system also provides us with the opportunity to develop a more effective management structure, so the time is right to make a few changes. 

“I’m delighted to welcome Lou and Rachel to the Senior Management Team, who have both been appointed on merit and earned their promotions after the significant contribution they have made to British Dressage in their previous roles. We’ll now go through the recruitment process for a COO and Marketing Manager to bring the team to full strength, ready to face the opportunities and challenges ahead. It’s an exciting time to join the organisation, so I’m sure that there will be plenty of interest in both of these roles.

“Thanks to our partnership with Horse Monkey, the full IT project will finally come to fruition in 2019 and as the needs of the sport continue to evolve my goal is to develop a team to lead the sport forward, provide high standards of customer service and build on the strengths we already have to make British Dressage one of the leading National Governing Bodies in the UK.”