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March 25, 2024

BPMA Names Phil Goodman CEO

The British Promotional Merchandise Association is a trade organization serving the industry in the United Kingdom.

By  Christopher Ruvo

The British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) has found its next leader.

The professional trade body serving the promotional products industry in the United Kingdom has announced that Phil Goodman is its new chief executive officer.

Phil Goodman

Phil Goodman, BPMA

Goodman replaces Carey Trevill, who announced in January that she was stepping down as CEO.

“We believe in Phil we have secured the services of an industry professional with the capabilities to drive our association and industry forward,” said BPMA Chair Haydn Willets of supplier Midocean. “Phil brings to the role many years of experience from managing and running successful full-service marketing agencies and several other businesses.”

Goodman’s resume includes years as CEO of Brandwidth, a company that helps clients grow by redefining and accelerating the digital customer experience.

In the months ahead, Goodman plans to outline and present his vision for the future of BPMA. It’s anticipated that a central focus of his work will be on helping to advance sustainability efforts in the U.K. promo market.

“I am extremely proud to be joining the BPMA,” said Goodman. “It is an interesting time for our industry as we continue to make progress in areas such as sustainability and compliance. This challenge really appeals to me, and I look forward to working with the board to continue to improve standards and increase the profile of the BPMA, both in our industry and beyond.”

Trevill became BPMA CEO in 2020 and led the organization – and, thereby, the U.K. promo industry – through one if its darkest periods in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trevill also contended with other pressing issues on behalf of the industry, such as a proposed ban (not implemented) on alcohol-related branded merch in Scotland.

In addition, she helped raise promo’s profile – going to Parliament, for instance, and successfully arguing in favor of a motion that declared “promotional merchandise is the medium which forges the most effective and long-term emotional relationship with its audience.” Trevill’s voice rang internationally, too, as she frequently provided insights on the U.K. merch market to North America promo audiences through outlets like ASI Media.

“On behalf of the BPMA board and the wider membership,” said Willets, “I would like to thank Carey Trevill, who has guided and led the BPMA through the challenging times of the last four years. She has professionalised the way of working for the BPMA to its members and the wider marketing disciplines we operate in. She leaves the association with far stronger foundations and a clearer strategic direction for our new CEO to build upon with the rest of the secretariat that are in place.”

That BPMA secretariat includes Membership Director Tom Robey and Operations & Events Manager Georgie Yeats. The team has grown in the last few months with the addition of Sustainability & Compliance Manager Jenny Dawes, Kian Clews Braddon as membership executive and Nate Bragg as marketing executive.

The United Kingdom’s promotional products industry has emerged from the woes of the pandemic. U.K.-based promo industry service provider Sourcing City released research in January that shows collective industry sales in the U.K./Ireland in 2023 surpassed the last pre-COVID year of 2019 and reached an all-time record high.

ASI Research, through a sweeping study of the European Union and U.K. markets, has estimated total distributor sales in the United Kingdom in 2022 were about $2 billion.