Sir Antony Walker, the Director General of the British Institute of Facilities Management has resigned his post. Sir Antony is stepping down following a short absence due to illness from which he is not yet fully recovered.

Sir Antony Walker

The BIFM has put in place temporary management arrangements under which previous Chairman Lionel Prodgers and current Chairman Ian Fielder will take a more active role in administration under the guidance of the Executive Committee and Council.
Sir Antony became the BIFM's DG in June 1998 and built on his predecessor John Crawshaw's work in raising the profile of the Institute. He brought his inimitable style and considerable energy to the role, one he clearly relished.

The job at the BIFM was more than that of a figurehead and the pressures of work, combined with recently revealed weaknesses in the Institute's accounting, clearly took their toll. According to a spokesman for the BIFM, Sir Antony had not planned to leave the post but concluded it would be better to let a new DG implement the new Chairman's strategy.
Investment in overhauling the Institute's systems and a series of non-profitable ventures seriously damaged the BIFM's financial position. Poor management information, in particular the inability to get a true picture of current membership, led to an overestimate of income. The BIFM is "resolved to bring the financial performance back to at least a break even position by the end of the current financial year."

The BIFM hopes to appoint a successor in the 'near future' but it seems unlikely that this will be before the FM Expo show and Annual Dinner in September. Sir Antony's formidable hosting abilities, not to mention his skills as a raconteur, will be sorely missed.

Richard Byatt