Discover how BCS Council is shaping the future of IT professionalism, with insights from Chair Eliot Smith MBCS on leadership, impact, and transformation.
As BCS undergoes a period of transformation, its Council plays a crucial role in steering and reflecting the voice of its diverse membership. Here Eliot Smith MBCS, BCS Council Chair, explains what drives his continued involvement, why Council matters, and why now is the time for others to step forward.
Please introduce yourself and tell us about your involvement with Council.
I first joined BCS as an associate member when I was at university, where we had a BCS Chapter. Upon moving to London and taking a job at Deloitte, there was a push to be a member of a professional body. I decided that BCS was an excellent choice and became a full member. After a few years, I started to become a bit more involved and successfully stood for election to Council. Following my being re-elected for a second term recently, I was chosen by my Council colleagues as their vice chair, and now chair and trustee.
What is Council’s central function and why is it so relevant?
Council’s main role is to provide advice to the Trustee Board on behalf of our membership. Some people call us the ‘conscience’ of the Institute. For me, it’s about bringing together a range of voices, including academics, professionals and those from our branches and specialist groups, so that the advice we give is grounded, balanced and informed. I feel this is particularly important at the moment. We have people on Council who are leaders in tech, who know the pulse of the industry and can offer sharp, direct insight into the direction we need to go as a business. Their experience helps us adapt and makes us more attractive to both members and organisations.
This isn’t an inward-looking group. We bring in expertise from outside, and we act as a channel to make sure the Institute is moving in the right direction not in isolation, but in step with the real world.
What appeals to you most about Council and keeps you interested and active?
What keeps me most engaged in Council is our ability to influence meaningful change within the Institute. That’s what I tell people when they ask why they should get involved. If you want to shape the future, this is how you do it.
Right now, with a new CEO making significant changes and setting out a refreshed strategy, Council is exactly where it should be: offering informed advice to the Executive and Trustee Board https://www.bcs.org/about-us/people-and-governance/meet-our-trustees-executives-and-council/.
We’re doing what Council is meant to do, and I want to see us do even more in that space. More action and more influence. I also get a lot out of working alongside a wide mix of people, and we welcome new voices and diverse perspectives to keep the Institute relevant and dynamic.
What are your current key areas of focus?
There are three things I’m really focused on right now. Firstly, strengthening Council’s advice function. I want to make sure the Trustee Board sees Council as a go-to source of input, and one that offers our perspective proactively.
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Secondly, ‘follow-through’. If someone presents to Council and asks for input, I want them to come back and tell us what they did with our advice. Council members put time and thought into these discussions, and it’s both extremely useful and extremely important to understand how that input is being used.
Thirdly, encouraging more young professionals to join Council and stay engaged. Council is a great entry point into deeper involvement, to joining committees, IT professional development, becoming a trustee and even stepping into VP roles. Many of our senior leaders started on Council, and it’s a clear pathway for those who want to make a real difference.
Why do you think now is a prime time to join Council?
Now is the perfect time to join Council because everything is changing. We have a new CEO, a new direction, and we’re entering a phase of real opportunity. If you want to influence the future of the Institute, this is when your voice will matter most.
It’s also a great career move. If you’re passionate about standards, about IT professional recognition like CITP or RITTech, or about shaping the industry, you can make that happen through Council. It’s not just about joining a committee. It’s about having impact and helping to lead the Institute into its next chapter.
