UKC

Earlier this week, BMC CEO Paul Ratcliffe joined us for an interview following his announcement of a £650,000 loss in the 2023 financial year.

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In reply to UKC News:

Wishy washy nothingness. Members should vote out this leadership team as a matter of urgency  or watch the BMC fall into insolvency and be restructured by the same team and lack relevance. 

In reply to UKC News:

I think we're all hoping he can walk the walk as well as he can talk the talk and drags the rest of the organisation with him if so.

In reply to UKC News:

Good interview and good responses.

There are clearly big problems, to which I feel there is a suitable plan developing.

It won't be easy and very sadly some people are going to loose their jobs, which is not nice.

I do hope that in the next few months the Board can concentrate on strategy and holding the CEO to account, as well as supporting him and his team to deliver the plan.

Ian

In reply to UKC News:

An informative and candid interview that sheds more light than all the very long UKC threads. Curiously not much mention of BMC insurance sustainability?

In reply to UKC News:

Good on Paul to do the interview, he's obviously a bit more PR savvy than his predecessor.

But I thought you were a bit soft on him when it came to who was responsible for the £625,000 loss.

Also the question you didn't ask him was about separating the NGB role from the BMC

In reply to UKC News:

Well done Paul for you openess and honesty and well done Rob and UKC for doing this interview so constructively.  Please continue this if you can later in the year.

In reply to Steve Woollard:

Agreed - whether or not Paul likes to use the word blame, somebody, or some people, are clearly to blame.

In reply to John Ww:

Blame doesn't help solve problems though, and acting on it can lead to delays in remedial actions and expensive legal wrangling.

We all know 'the buck stops' collectively with the 12 Directors on the Board ...... with issues also being associated with another senior manager (head of GB Climbing, who has left) who clearly demonstrated poor financial control, and arguably a CFO who didn't pick up the issues (who has also left). Yet nearly all those leaders who were in post, through all that period where major issues occurred, may have gone by the end of 2024 (as more Director terms end).

In reply to John Ww: it strikes me as wise to find out what happened before we start doling out blame, firing people etc. 

What are you going to do if they've already left? 

In reply to Offwidth:

It's not about blame, it's about accountability.

As you quite rightly point out on the other post the Board are collectively responsible, but some are more responsible than others by virtue of their position, and the shareholders, in our case the membership, could ask for their dismissal.

In a situation like this it would be normal for the Board Chairman to fall on their sword as ultimately they are the leading representative of the shareholders/membership.

In reply to Steve Woollard:

That's your opinion, not mine: he works incredibly hard and I prefer the stability over gavong an undersffed Board and trying to recruit a replacement. The chair's term ends in the autumn and members have to ratify any second term at the following AGM. .

In reply to Offwidth:

I agree. 

I thought this was good. Hopeful for a good turn around. 

In reply to Offwidth:

It does help. Someone or several people either weren't given a budget and or over spent knowingly. There weren't systems in place to spot this. No one intervened.

The only way to stop this is to first identify literally receipt or invoices individually that caused the problems and thus the staff in the chain. They need either training, written warnings or firing. It's not like they drifted marginally over budget, spending was out of control. 

Without the buffer that has been built up over years the bmc would have been insolvent. 

In reply to Offwidth:

So I'm clear, the chair's term ends in the autumn but he could decide to seek another term in which case he would remain in post until at least mid 2025 at the next AGM when he may or may not be approved.

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

Failed at the first hurdle

In reply to UKC News:

If the BMC is skint, which it seems to be, then after the haemorrhaging of cash is stopped then there needs to be a bigger focus on raising cash.  If climbing walls and Rockfax included BMC membership by default (with the option to opt out) it would raise awareness of its existence and boost cash going in.  

Then how about decent outdoor sponsors?