Committee
The BLA is run by a committee. Each member of the committee fulfils a unique role. For enquiries on the following themes please contact the most appropriate member of the committee as listed below.
Chair: Sarah Brain, University of Bristol
The Chair represents and promotes the BLA and facilitates relevant projects, activities and supports development activities to its members.
Secretary: Nicola Dennis, Aston University
As Committee Secretary, Nicola organises and records meetings (including the AGMs), maintains the BLA Constitution and deputises for the Chair in meetings in their absence.
Membership Secretary: Abi Ward, University of the West of England
As Membership secretary, Abi is the first point of contact for new BLA members. She deals with membership enquiries, maintains the members' database and the LIS-Business group mailing list.
Honorary Treasurer: Anastasia Kelly, Sheffield Hallam University
As Honorary Treasurer, Anastasia is responsible for the financial management of the Association, processing subscription invoices and payments for members, manages the invoices and finances for the annual conference and training events and prepares the accounts for the Association members to ensure transparency.
Training Events Officer: Neil Skinner, University of Stirling
As Training Events Officer, Neil looks after the organisation of training events for members. This includes topics, sourcing trainers, locations and advertising.
Marketing and Communications Officer: Algirdas Kraunaitis, QA.com
As the Marketing and Communications Officer, Algirdas manages the BLA social media account, creates promotional content to raise the profile of the association, and keeps members up to date with on-going initiatives throughout the year.
Development Officer: Jennie Winterburn, Leeds Beckett University
As Development Officer, Jennie provides project management support for BLA Activities, networks and main events. This includes the development and maintenance of the website and BLA branding and looking after the Regional Members Groups.
Supplier Liaison Officer: Sjoukje Schots, Open University
As Supplier Liaison Officer, Sjoukje is the main point of contact for suppliers to communicate with the Association, organises the supplier exhibition, presentations and information packs for the Annual Conference and liaises with suppliers and relevant bodies on deals negotiated for BLA members.
Conference Organiser - Daniel Oppido, University of Brighton
As Conference Organiser, Daniel is responsible for the planning and organisation of the Annual Summer Conference for the Business Librarians Association. This role involves working closely with the committee to coordinate logistics, manage communications, liaise with speakers and venues, and ensure all organisational elements come together smoothly for the Annual Summer Conference.
The organisation of the summer conference rotates each year, with this year’s event taking place in Brighton. If any members are interested in hosting a future summer conference, please get in touch—we’d be delighted to hear from you.
