President’s blog

PFS president Adam Owen pushes for each member to perform an act of kindness MAKE A DIFFERENCE

In my last article, I invited members to of the task that the Society has, now that raise questions about topics relating to the PFS or the profession in general and One of the key we have reached a membership of 40,000. Since becoming a member-nominated I have been delighted and intrigued by the responses so far. From those I received, the question I kept coming back challenges for the society is director in 2016, I have seen the work that the executive team does fi rst hand, especially in the area of engaging with to was asked by a delegate at our recent national conference. He asked me: how it remains members. One of the key challenges for the Society is how it remains relevant to so “What is the point of the PFS?” Th at is a good question and, of course, relevant to so many people while fulfi lling its public duty as a professional body and catering for the it can be taken in many ways. My initial, many people needs of a diverse membership. instinctive reaction was to see this as a challenge to justify and validate the work while fulfi lling I believe that the strength of the PFS is in the diversity of its membership and that as that the PFS does, but to do so would be to miss the opportunity to have a conversation. its public duty members, we can all infl uence the progress of the profession. As we enter a new It is often the case that when someone asks a question like this, it is just a way of opening and engaging in discussion – and as a professional body decade, we can be certain about very little. As the world in 2020 is very different from 2010, so it will be equally changed by 2030. the subsequent discussion has the possibility However, I believe that we are stronger as of being far more nuanced than a simple call a united profession and I see examples of and response. fellow professionals supporting each other every day.

So, I asked him, based on the themes of the conference Th is support is not always in the form of a grand gesture that we were attending and on the other ways in which he – it is often a small act of kindness. If every one of us, the interacts with the Society, what he thought the purpose 40,000 members of the PFS, aimed to perform a small act of the PFS was. His response reminded me that however of kindness just once a week in 2020 in support of hard an organisation tries to communicate something, the our profession, that would be more than two million success of the communication is only really apparent when positive interactions. you hear the interpretation of your message by the receiver. For me, that is the point of the PFS. It provides a platform STAYING RELEVANT the profession. ● I will come back to what I think the purpose of the PFS is to bring people together to help each other and to improve later but this conversation brought home to me the size Adam Owen is president of the PFS