Bob Cotton to leave the BHA next year

"By the time of the general election, I will have been chief executive for more than ten years, so the election of the new government in 2010 is an appropriate time for me to step down and hand over the reins," Cotton said. "Building up good relationships with government departments is a key role and my successor will be able to do this right at the start of the new administration - no matter who wins the election. "The last ten years have been immensely rewarding and challenging but it is now time to move on. The hospitality industry now plays an even greater role in the UK economy than it ever has done and, despite the present recession, looks set for further expansion." Mr Cotton will continue to take an active part in the industry and will remain chairman of the Hospitality Skills Academy, president of Hospitality Action and a member of the board of Springboard UK. Dudley Osborn, chairman of BHA's national executive said that Mr Cotton's contribution to the association had been outstanding: "He has raised the profile of the industry in every respect and he will be a very hard act follow. But we understand why he now wants to move on. His influence on the industry will continue to be felt in the future." The association will begin the search for his successor later this year. Cotton joined the BHA in January 2000.