In November, we welcomed Graham Blair to the BSI as our new Chief Executive. Graham will join us from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), where he has worked since 2016 in a variety of roles, most recently as Director of Membership, Media and Development. He brings with him a wealth of leadership experience across the membership, education and health charity sectors, with a strong track record of delivering innovation, growth, member value and high-quality education and event programmes. We caught up with Graham to hear a bit more about his background and motivations for joining the BSI, and to find out what he’s looking forward to most about his new role.
Many congratulations on your appointment, and we look forward to welcoming you to the BSI! Can you tell us a bit about what motivated you to apply for the role of Chief Executive at the Society?
Thank you! I’m very excited to be joining the BSI team. Much of my career to date has been within membership organisations—I have been at the Royal College of Anaesthetists for nine years, and prior to that I was at the Royal Academy of Engineering. I have also worked in the commercial and charity sectors, but membership is where I’ve found I’ve enjoyed my career the most, and my roles in events and communications in particular have given me the opportunity to work across the full breadth of these organisations’ activities, really enabling members and staff to achieve their objectives.
My current role as Director of Membership, Media and Development has a very broad remit, working across areas such as events, education programmes, publications, digital and membership engagement. I knew my next challenge would likely be a Chief Executive role and I was familiar with the BSI from when it was based in the same building as the RCoA. I had always admired it for being a strong member-led society, and when I saw the Chief Executive role come up, I knew this was something that could combine my passion for science and healthcare with the skills I had gained and the direction I wanted my career to take. Immunology is currently one of the most exciting areas of science, and the ethos and values of the BSI also really fit with my own priorities. I see this role as a chance not only to contribute, but also to learn a great deal—especially when it comes to the subject matter—and that prospect genuinely excites me.
What are some of the main differences between the BSI and the RCoA, and how might this influence how you tackle your new role?
The main difference is one of size: the RCoA has a membership of around 20,000, and a staff team of 125. My department alone has just over 30 staff. This comes with both positives and negatives. In a bigger organisation, it can be a challenge to effect change and get new initiatives or ways of working through all the necessary governance and committees. The BSI, on the other hand, strikes me as a very agile organisation, with an aptitude for identifying what needs to be done, and getting on with it. Of course, in a smaller organisation there are often fewer resources, but that in itself can breed innovation and get people thinking outside the box, which can be a huge plus.
Another difference is the heavy clinical focus at the RCoA. I have spent nine years working extensively with clinicians, which I think will be valuable experience to bring to the BSI. I know the Society is keen to grow its clinical membership and that’s certainly something I can bring some knowledge in.
What inspires you about the field of immunology?
The pandemic has shown us that immunology is such a key area, with so much still to be discovered and understood. Autoimmunity, immune diseases, cancer—there is huge progress to be made in all these areas, and of course you have the veterinary side too. It is such a broad and diverse field, with so much potential, and that is something that really inspires me. I’m sure there are countless unsung heroes among the BSI membership, working tirelessly on innovations that will transform the future and contribute to a safer world for us all.
The field is also fast-moving, and very collaborative. People are finding ways of working together not just here in the UK but globally too. It is so inspiring to know I will be supporting all this, and working with the BSI team to make sure we are here to help so many fantastic immunologists continue their vital work.
What qualities do you think are important in a Chief Executive?
I think clear communication is vital. I want to ensure the vision we set out for the organisation is well understood, while also listening closely to the voices of others. It’s essential that I hear loud and clear from members about the challenges they face, what they love about the BSI, and what they would rather we changed. Just as importantly, I want to engage openly with the Board of Trustees and the staff team, ensuring everyone feels heard and directly involved in the future of the Society.
I also like to think I am a strategic thinker. The BSI is about to launch a new five-year strategy, but already we need to be thinking about what the next one might look like. A Chief Executive must always be thinking about where the organisation is headed, have sight of the potential obstacles and be ready for them whilst ensuring the organisation has the tools it needs to thrive today.
I always strive to build trust with my teams, and more broadly with an organisation’s membership. If I say I’ll do something, I do my very best to go and achieve it, and if for some reason it isn’t possible, then I am open and honest about that. A Chief Executive must work with integrity and honesty, because people always value knowing where they stand.
I also believe strongly that people need to enjoy themselves. If someone can enjoy their role, or if a member can enjoy their engagement with an organisation, then everyone is going to get far more out of it. Of course, there will always be elements of what we do that are more mundane, but having moments of fun and creativity is so important. It gets people talking.
What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for an organisation like the BSI in the coming years?
One of my first priorities will be to get my head around precisely what those challenges and opportunities are! In general, membership organisations are all facing some similar challenges at the moment, such as how to ensure sustainable funding, and a consistent output. It is not getting any easier to make things happen—there is more and more complex regulation to navigate, particularly as we transition to more digital ways of doing things. This can mean you need more people and resources than before to get the same things done.
Another challenge is how to make sure the Society’s offering is appealing and appropriate for a wide range of membership, from the most senior immunologists to those who are just entering the field. We need to ask ourselves how we can engage early career immunologists in a rapidly changing world, where being part of a membership organisation might not naturally be their first priority. Also, how do we ensure the UK voice can remain a beacon for immunology, including in the testing and developing of vaccines, for example. There may be others out there with more resources and louder voices, and we need to make sure we can contend with those, and remain at the forefront of conversations.
And of course, new challenges will come along that we cannot even predict. Part of my role as Chief Executive will be to make sure we navigate those well, that we set the right strategy and have the right knowledge in place. As the central office team, we are not on the scientific front line; we need to engage closely with our members, and draw on their insight to identify the big issues that will shape the next five to ten years. We need to have one eye on the immediate challenges and the other on the horizon to see what storms we might have to weather.
I am very grateful for all the work outgoing Chief Executive Doug Brown and the team have done to get the BSI into such a strong position, and to really transform the Society into a thriving, modern organisation. But standing still is never an option and I want to build on that work, so we can evolve and successfully face the challenges that come our way. We have to be ready.
You’ll be attending the BSI Congress in December—what are you most looking forward to?
I love events—that is where my career started—and I believe they really bring an organisation alive. A society like the BSI is its members, and from what I hear, Congress is where the immunology community really comes together to showcase its breadth and brilliance.
I’m looking forward to hearing the scientific talks and getting up to speed on the latest developments, essentially dropping myself into the centre of it all. There is a whole new language for me to learn, and Congress will really give me a kick-start, and a chance to assimilate.
Any big event is an extraordinary team effort and I know the BSI team invests so much energy and passion into making Congress such a fabulous occasion, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.
In-person conversations spark ideas and connections in ways online meetings rarely can. Being face to face with members is how the best ideas emerge, how trust is built, and how we’ll shape the future together. I’m excited to see the BSI community in action, to listen, learn and be part of those conversations—because that’s where the real energy and future of the organisation will be found. I can’t wait to get started.