BGA Appoints New Chairman
The British Grooms Association (BGA) has announced that John Smales has been appointed as its new Chairman.John Smales who has just retired after six years as CEO at the ILPH will bring a wealth of experience to the Association. BGA founder Lucy Katan said “I am delighted that John has agreed to become our new Chairman. I believe that with John’s experience and passion we can continue to grow, strengthen our position in the industry and maximise all opportunities. This will ultimately be to the benefit of all grooms and employers.”
John said “I’m honoured and very excited to be asked to be Chairman of the BGA. It fills an important gap in the horse world, because it represents the interests of those who physically look after our horses. It is a mentor and adviser to grooms and their employers, and will become a facilitator of training. It will be a guardian of standards among those who are paid to look after horses, and we intend to raise the status of grooms as a profession. Their contribution to success in all horse sports and activities is significant and deserves more recognition.
The BGA was launched last May, and thanks to the vision and energy of Lucy Katan, and to some generous sponsors, it has taken off like a space rocket! The next step is to put it into a steady and lasting orbit. There’s a lot going on, but we must now ensure an adequate income and increase our membership this year. We have much to offer the horse world in general and grooms in particular, and we have a team with the energy and skill to make the BGA a success”.
John Smales will replace the BGA’s founder Chairman Andrew Edwards who stepped down in October 2007. Lucy explained, “Andrew was very significant in the set up stages and really helped me to take the BGA to where it is today, however we all agreed that we needed someone with more experience to enable the Association to progress further.”