Governance and Administration - Officers and Staff

How BSAC operates

BSAC holds eight Council meetings a year and requires a quorum of fifteen Members. Agendas for the meetings are varied according to the business and policy issues facing the industry. Members unable to attend a specific Council meeting may nominate a substitute who must be approved by the Director. However, Members are still required personally to attend a minimum of two Council meetings a year.

Much of BSAC’s work is handled by Working Groups set up on an ad hoc basis to deal with issues. BSAC also has a valuable network of co-opted Members, particularly Associate Members, who are invited to serve on Working Groups where a particular field of expertise not represented on the Council is needed. Reports from Working Groups are given to Council regularly and on such occasions the full Council’s endorsement is sought. Wherever possible the Council seeks support from all Members on policy issues. On rare occasions where proposals are not fully supported the Council seeks to illustrate, where possible, the degree of support and, in general terms, who supported and who are the dissenters with their reasons.

In addition to the Chairman, the Council is served by four Deputy Chairmen.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee meets three times a year and reports of meetings are circulated to all Council Members. Executive Committee comprises five officers, the Director, and five Members who are elected by Members bi-annually to act on behalf of Council between Council Meetings. A quorum of four Members is required. In addition to industry issues, the Executive Committee also considers BSAC’s internal affairs, in particular finance and membership, and makes recommendations on such matters to the Council.

BSAC’s Links with Government

BSAC maintains strong links with Government. Civil servants and policymakers from the key departments with responsibilities for the audiovisual industries such as DCMS and BIS are regularly invited to participate in Council meetings and events. John Whittingdale MP, the Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and Derek Wyatt MP, Co-Chair All-Party Communications Group also attend as Observers. BSAC also invites representatives from the Treasury, other Government departments and the European Commission to attend meetings where appropriate. BSAC holds frequent meetings with EU officials and MEPs. BSAC is non-party political.

Associate Membership

Associate Membership provides an effective mechanism whereby companies and institutions can formalise a relationship with BSAC through attending events, receiving minutes, reports and other information. Unlike Membership, Associate Membership is available on a corporate not individual basis. Many representatives of Associate Member companies assist BSAC’s work by serving on Working Groups or undertaking research on a pro-bono basis. The Council is appreciative of this support.

Officers and Staff