CEO Hall of Fame
& past winners
The CEO Leadership Award
Lee Davies - Chief Executive
Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys
Lee Davies, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), joined in February 2012 from the Institute for Learning (IfL). With a background in further and higher education, he led the Thames & Solent District of the Workers’ Educational Association and held senior roles at Highbury College.
Lee's unconventional career began as an apprentice plumber in Portsmouth, transitioning to part-time plumbing teaching in the late '80s. He stumbled into membership associations in 1999, working with volunteer members. Lee, the 2011–12 President of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), often speaks on association leadership, governance, and professionalism. An avid squash player and sea fishing enthusiast, he finds solace walking his whippet, Indy, across the South Downs each morning.
On receiving the Memcom CEO Leadership Award, Lee says "it was an extraordinary night, I genuinely had no idea that I was in with a chance of receiving the award. Anyone who has seen the clips on social media of me taking the stage will know that I was totally dumbstruck. This accolade is so important to me. I am passionate about the Memcom membership community. It has helped to make me the leader I am today and I am forever indebted to every person I have been fortunate to meet and learn from, not least Louis Armstrong, who received the first of these awards posthumously. I am so looking forward to giving my lecture at the Memcom winter party and I dedicate this to every leader who has helped to shape me and who is no longer with us".
The CEO Leadership Award
Noorzaman Rashid - Chief Executive
Chartered Institute for Ergonomics and Human Factors
Noorzaman won the CEO Leadership awards while he was the CEO of the Chartered Institute for Ergonomics and Human Factors. He is now the Chief Executive of CEME.
He has a successful track record of leading professional services firms, public sector agencies and working with membership bodies at board level.
He has worked in South Africa, Japan, the US and Russia. Noorzaman is chair of several organisations including the Foundation for Social Improvement, which has 8,000 organisational members, the Centre for Management Consultancy Excellence and Play Action International.
The CEO Leadership Award
Simon Thompson - Chief Executive
British Institute of Radiology
Since his appointment in 2017, Simon has led on the transformation of the British Institute of Radiology, an organisation that was facing serious financial challenges, to one with record levels of income, a healthy surplus, record membership, and growing domestic and international influence.
Simon ensured that the BIR demonstrated its value during the pandemic, producing the first global conference on COVID-19 imaging in March 2020, whilst also successfully campaigning for better PPE for radiographers and sonographers, and in 2021 for vaccinations for non-NHS staff working in high risk areas of hospitals.
In late 2020, 77% of BIR volunteers said that the organisation’s overall reputation had improved, and 90% said the quality of its education provision had been enhanced.
The CEO Leadership Award
Paul Rees - Chief Executive
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Paul Rees became the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in November 2016, transitioning from his role as Executive Director of Policy and Engagement at the Royal College of GPs.
Under his leadership, the RCPsych underwent a modernisation initiative, enhancing IT infrastructure, improving membership communication, strengthening stakeholder engagement, and implementing a dynamic employee relations strategy. Collaborating with College Officers, Paul introduced a values-based approach centered on Courage, Innovation, Respect, Collaboration, Learning, and Excellence. This approach led to notable milestones, such as the College's first celebrations of Pride and Black History Month in 2019 and International Women’s Day in 2020. The values-driven strategy earned the College the Charity of the Year award at the European Diversity Awards in 2019.
In 2020, Paul was honoured with the Louis Armstrong CEO Leadership Award at the Memcom Awards, recognising his achievements in profile, profit, and professionalism. Judges commended his strategic execution, member engagement, and overall impact, noting significant positive changes in processes, communication, and organisational culture. Paul emphasised the collective efforts of the staff team in adapting services to an online format while maintaining a commitment to equality and diversity. Reflecting on the award, he expressed gratitude and acknowledged the team's dedication to delivering an excellent member experience and supporting mental health services worldwide amid unprecedented challenges.
The CEO Leadership Award
Anne Godfrey - Chief Executive
Chartered Institute Of Environmental Health
Anne Godfrey CCMI FCIM, was appointed Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute Of Environmental Health (CIEH) in January 2016. Specialising in change management within the not-for-profit space, she has a proven track record of delivering challenging targets while harnessing the skills, knowledge and passion of members, staff and external stakeholders.
Anne has previously held leadership roles in a diverse range of membership organisations including CIM, where she was Chief Executive, the Law Society, where she was Director of Commercial and Membership Services, and the CBI where she was Commercial & Marketing Director. She has a first class honours degree from Glasgow University and a postgraduate diploma in law from Nottingham Law School. Following her appointment at CIEH in 2016, Anne has spent three years refocussing and balancing CIEH’s revenue generation streams leading to an 18% increase in commercial income and an annual budget deficit reduction from £2.8m to break-even. Staff costs were reduced from £5.7m to £3m and a new strategy developed to deliver far more with less. Membership engagement increased with participation in trustee elections growing from 6% to 18%. The judges were especially impressed with the integration of activity and portfolio of change leading to a fast and effective turn around, demonstrating strong leadership and communication across all areas.
Anne Godfrey: “It was amazing to be recognised by my peers at a gathering of like-minded souls which always feels like family. This is an incredible sector and one I’m proud to be part of”.
The CEO Leadership Award
Mark Downs - Chief Executive
Royal Society of Biology
Mark Downs, Royal Society of Biology (RSB). Mark joined the Royal Society of Biology as CEO from the major charity for hearing health and deafness, RNID, where he was the Executive director for Science and Enterprise (2004-2009) leading a major retail operation, service deliver social enterprise and the biomedical and technology research programme.
Mark joined RNID after spending three years as the UK’s lead policy official for negotiating and implementing a range of far reaching, EU driven, business related environmental legislation at the Department of Trade and Industry. He previously spent five years in the Diplomatic Service based at the British Embassy in Tokyo as First Secretary (Trade Policy) with responsibility for all UK-Japan bilateral and multilateral trade relations. He focused, in particular, on the medical, environmental, telecommunications and legal services markets. Earlier in his career, Mark managed and undertook biosensor research, managed Government LINK programmes, and worked on innovation and S&T and space policy. He was responsible for setting up the Government’s Faraday Partnership Programme, the £30m environmental body WRAP and worked on the 1993 Science & Technology White Paper. He has a PhD from Cranfield University where he worked on the development of DNA sensors for rapid gene identification and a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of London. The Royal Society of Biology is a unifying voice for biology, representing over 60,000 biologists through its individual and organisational membership. Membership includes individuals from all stages of their career and spans all the bioscience disciplines from molecular to whole organisms to ecosystems.
The CEO Leadership Award
Chris Blythe - Chief Executive
Chartered Institute of Building
Chris Blythe, Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Chris is an inspirational, modernising leader who exerts a positive influence inside and outside the CIOB. During his 17 years as Chief Executive, he has made the CIOB more dynamic, resilient and responsive. His collaborative style and focus on inclusivity, professional standards and serving the public good has brought the institute closer to other professional bodies, industry and government. CIOB membership has grown to 46,851 members since Chris joined the organisation making it the largest professional construction management network in the world. Chris’ campaigning to raise awareness of modern slavery must also be applauded, recently earning him an OBE for his work.
Chris Blythe: "It is especially significant for me to win the Louis Armstrong Award. Louis was an unofficial mentor for me when I joined the CIOB 17 years ago and was very supportive. While I take great personal pride it is actually a statement of how far the CIOB has come and its promise for the future. The real stars are the members and staff I have worked with over the years. Professional bodies play an important role both in the industry and in wider society. More often than not these organisations go about their work without fanfare and yet their impact can be felt across the globe. They raise standards, promote professional values and tackle uncomfortable truths. They are social enterprises for the public good. We have focussed on ethics in construction which is an environment vulnerable to modern slavery and the abuse of migrant workers, poor payment practices and money laundering; so it is particularly pleasing that the work of the CIOB Academy has been recognised at these awards.”
The CEO Leadership Award
Ann Francke - Chief Executive
Chartered Management Institute
Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The panel decided Ann had achieved what Henry Kissinger described as the task of the leader – “to get his people from where they are to where they have not been”.
Under Ann’s leadership, the CMI developed and executed a strategy to turn around five years of decline, engaging staff and giving them a real sense of ownership in the process.
With Ann at the helm, CMI has achieved the Investors in People (IIP) gold standard, grown its membership, built up reserves, set up degree apprenticeships and influenced the government on issues such as gender pay equality.
Ann Francke: "I believe professional bodies are a huge influence for good and for change, not just in the UK but the world. At CMI we are stronger together. We have achieved what we have because we did it in partnership.”
The CEO Leadership Award
Louis Armstrong - Former Chief Executive
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Louis Armstrong, former Chief Executive of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The award was presented posthumously to Louis’s widow.
It was decided that from 2016 and annually thereafter the award will be presented as ‘The Louis Armstrong CEO Leadership Award’ based on the decision by a panel of chief executives who will consider all nominations.
RICS Chief Executive, Dr Sean Tompkins: "Louis’ service as CEO of RICS from 1998 to 2010 was marked with unprecedented progress. Under his inspirational leadership RICS made significant steps in the transition from a national organisation to an international profession. It is wholly fitting that this new award should be created in his name.
After leaving RICS, Louis continued to live our values when he founded Professions for Good, a consortium of the CEOs of leading professional bodies across all business sectors promoting the value and virtues of professionalism for business, the economy and society."