Written on: October 1, 2025 by Patrick Heskins
Electric vehicles, AI, 5G technology, the omnipotence of the smartphone and the revolution of the workplace have peppered a timeline of transformations over the last ten years.
While perhaps not as historic as these societal and technological advancements, I thought my decade at the British Aerosol Manufacturing Association (BAMA) as Chief Executive was worth a pause for thought, as, despite the frenetic pace of change we have grown accustomed to, it’s the longest I have ever held in one position in my working life.
What’s so special about the BAMA job to make me stay for so long? As a veteran of the aerosol industry, I had, of course, sat on various BAMA Committees, attended the Annual Forum and been involved in many an event led by the association. What I never realized was what happens behind the scenes.
The exit factor
Going back to the early days, BAMA was created to represent the fast-growing UK aerosol manufacturing sector to Government. Regulations were growing to manage what Prime Minister Harold Wilson called “The White Heat of Technology” (sic) in a speech to the Labor Party conference of 1963. Today, our primary role is still to monitor, read, consult, comment and discuss the regulations created by UK Government.
In that respect, who we talk with about regulation has been the biggest change in my time at BAMA. In 2016, the UK held a referendum on European Union (EU) membership and, for better or for worse, the vote was to leave. There then followed a prolonged period of discussion, negotiation and arguing before the UK finally left the EU on Dec. 31, 2020.
Prior to EU Exit, we worked closely with other EU trade associations to influence regulations created by the European Union. Now, in 2025, we spend most of our time talking with the UK Government about their plans to change regulations and how we can best mold these to suit the needs of BAMA members. Sometimes we want to mirror regulations from the EU, but on other occasions there is a benefit to diverging from those created in Brussels.
An events evolution
During my time with BAMA, we have also tried to bring the association closer to its members and remain open to changing needs. New events, such as Innovation Day, go from strength to strength in terms of presentations and attendance, while Aerosol Discussion Evenings have transformed, too. Those who have been in the aerosol industry as long as I have will remember the original incarnation, which took place at the Bayswater Court Hotel in London in the late 1980s and early 90s. The new Aerosol Discussion Evenings format has revived an opportunity for us all to come together and listen to presentations from inside and outside of the industry, as well as catch up with friends and colleagues. As regulations have shifted over the last 10 years, we have also seen focused events—such as the recent Regulatory Day and the upcoming Industrial Safety Day—gain traction.
Lockdown lessons
Training has been taken in-house to our Member Companies, which has proven very popular. We have even taken some of our training overseas, with courses run in Australia and the U.S.
Like all other organizations, we lived through the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and learned some new skills as a result. Out of those difficult times blossomed fresh perspectives on how we should do things. BAMA was already experimenting with webinars to engage more widely with members, without them having to attend face-to-face events. The pandemic accelerated these plans and widened the scope of what we wanted to achieve, resulting in the creation of our online training portal.
Recently, the second phase of the portal has gone live with a set of interactive units to help our members understand subjects such as aerosol regulation, propellant safety and the transport of aerosols.
Learning in the lab
However, if I had to look at one thing I have been most pleased with during my time here at BAMA, it was adding a practical lab session to our Aerosol Technology Course to allow attendees to see, first hand, the effect of valves and propellants on how an aerosol product performs, rather than having to take the word of the (most excellent, it must be said) presenters on the course. I have to say a big “thank you” to the wonderful people at Lindal in the UK for letting us use their lab, staff and other facilities twice a year to make this happen.
What does the next 10 years hold? I wish I knew. What we do know is that there are many issues that are ongoing, and subjects such as
climate change, air quality, the circular economy, chemical regulations, recycling and knowledge retention are not expected to disappear anytime soon. SPRAY
