The British Footwear Association (BFA) is pleased to announce the launch of a new sector-wide initiative that will champion and celebrate 50 professionals from across the UK footwear trade. Designed to recognise the achievements, contributions and leadership skills of footwear professionals, the BFA Footwear50 will kickstart with a sector-wide nominations process, allowing BFA Members and non-members to suggest individuals they think should be included. With the support of Headline Sponsor Micro-Fresh®, the Footwear50 will group footwear professionals into six categories: Retailers, Manufacturers, Design Independents, Brands, Suppliers; Wholesalers, and Footwear Supporters. This will ensure that people from across the footwear sector have the chance to feature. The final list of individuals will be chosen from the nominations list by the BFA Board of Directors and Management Team and presented in a dedicated Footwear50 guide to be unveiled in December 2022. The process will culminate in a BFA Christmas networking event, which all this year’s Footwear50 will be invited to attend.
BFA CEO, Lucy Reece Raybould, says: “This is the first of its kind for the BFA, and we are excited to launch a new initiative that highlights all the talent, passion and commitment that’s shown by so many excellent leaders in our field. This is an opportunity to shine a light on BFA Members and non-members and give a snapshot of who’s leading our trade forward in 2022. We predict this will become a much-anticipated annual event that those included will view as a badge of honour. We look forward to receiving nominations over the next few weeks.”
The BFA is launching its debut Footwear50 in partnership with Micro-Fresh®, the invisible technology that keeps products like shoes fresher for longer. Byron Dixon OBE, CEO of Micro-Fresh® adds: “We are hugely excited to partner with the BFA on this fantastic initiative to recognise the top 50 most inspiring and influential people in thefootwear industry. As an innovative business, Micro-Fresh® has always partnered with companies to improve product quality. We support the increased focus of the BFA on championing excellence and are delighted to be the Headline Sponsor of the BFA Footwear50 2022.”
Footwear50 Nominations: Anyone working in the UK footwear sector is welcome to nominate an individual who they believe is an asset to the UK industry. Emails should be sent to nominations@britishfootwearassociation.co.uk including the name of the person being nominated, their job title, company name, preferred Footwear50 category, and a short supporting paragraph of less than 100 words. Nominations must be submitted by midnight on September 23, 2022. The BFA Footwear50 in Partnership with Micro-Fresh® will be accompanied by a social media campaign using the hashtag #Footwear50. Further sponsorship opportunities are also available. Find out more by emailing BFA Business Development Manager, Polly Lythall: polly.ly@britishfootwearassociation.co.uk
Further information about the BFA can be found here: britishfootwearassociation.co.uk.
