Change of BDA Chairs

Margaret and Jim Malpas have been Joint Chairs of BDA for over a decade. At the Trustees’ meeting on 16 November, they stated their intention to step down. Margaret will be able to focus more on her convalescence, and they make way for new Chairs with strong experience of the digital world BDA now operates in. Margaret and Jim are remaining in the BDA “family” though, still providing constitutional and HR advice and a sounding board when required. After the meeting, the Trustees decided they should be offered positions as Vice Presidents of BDA which they accepted.

The two new Joint Chairs, voted in unanimously by the Trustees, are John Levell and David Williams.

John Levell

John Levell runs a business advising boards and organisations on shaping and delivering technology enabled change, innovation and exploiting digital. He also works as an interim CIO / Transformation Director leading complex programmes of change. Previously, he was an Associate Partner with EY's Digital, Data & Analytics capabilities, part of the leadership team of Deloitte's Customer Transformation practice as well as having held COO and CEO roles in industry.

He discovered his own dyslexia at 42, when his children were diagnosed, and has been an active campaigner in the dyslexia and neurodiversity space ever since. He jointly established the dyslexia network within EY in the UK and joined the BDA board in 2012 where his focus has been issues relating to adults and employment. He regularly speaks on the subject of dyslexia and runs a blog addressing the issues faced by dyslexics in professions. He also chairs the BDA Digital Advisory Board.

David Williams

David Williams is currently working as Assistant Principal and Strategic SENDCo for The Park Academies Trust in Swindon, he has a BSc (Hons), a PGCE, a research Master’s degree in Learning and Teaching specialising in student well-being from the University of Oxford, and he completed the National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination in 2014. He is qualified to test for JCQ examination access arrangements, and is a member of the British Psychological Society.

David has been a trustee of the British Dyslexia Association since 2010, and has chaired the Wiltshire Dyslexia Association for the past 12 years. In this capacity he is frequently invited to speak to groups of SENDCos both locally and nationally. In 2007, he received an international scholarship for his research into the use of mind-mapping techniques with ASD students, and in 2011 was
named Dyslexia Teacher of the Year. He is a member of the Swindon Special Educational Needs Resourcing and Assessment Panel.

The changeover of Chairs took place on the 19th December at the staff Christmas lunch. David and John are undertaking some joint events with Margaret and Jim such as the APPG for Dyslexia in November and the Cappuccino Challenge in Parliament on 20 February 2018.

“As CEO of the BDA and on behalf of the BDA Trustees, staff, members and volunteers, I would like to say a huge thank you to Jim and Margaret Malpas for their outstanding contribution to the BDA over many years. Their dedication, hard work and commitment has been exemplary and has enabled BDA to achieve the strong position it now enjoys both in terms of the extensive reach of our charitable work, financial stability and our work to influence government policy. We are delighted that they have agreed to be Vice Presidents of the BDA.” – Dr. Kate Saunders, CEO, BDA