Governance
How the BCS is run, who's who, and our code of ethics
Management of the BCS
The management of the affairs, business and property of the British Cartographic Society is vested in a Council. The Council is composed of four officers (President, Vice-President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer), plus up to eight other elected members. The officers and elected members and are all Trustees of the Society. The majority of work undertaken by the Society takes place within three main committees (Membership, Programme and Publications. The chairs of these committees are either elected or co-opted members of Council.
Who's Who
​Officers and Members of Council​​
​Paul Naylor
President
Paul is a Cartographic Design Consultant at Ordnance Survey, where he performs a key role as the authority for cartographic design, data visualisation and development. He has been an active BCS member for over 15 years.​
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Christopher Budas
Vice President
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Christopher is a Geospatial Scientist at Defence Science Technology Laboratory, part of the Ministry of Defence. He is a Fellow of the British Cartographic Society and The Royal Geographical Society as well as being a Chartered Geographer in Geographical Information. He has an active interest in the geospatial and simulation communities and encouraging continued collaboration and communication.
David Sherren
Honorary Secretary
David is Map Librarian at the University of Portsmouth, where he has worked since 1987. He also provides copyright advice to staff and students across the institution. He is a Fellow of the BCS and has been Secretary since 2016. He is also a member of the Map Curators’ Group.
Bernard Anderson
Honorary Treasurer
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Bernard has a background in healthcare and academia. However, having spent more than 25 years as a volunteer coastguard he has had extensive experience of using both maps and charts for search and rescue. For the last ten years he has been the treasurer of a group which is a registered charity, managing its accounts and annual budgets.
Jim Goldsmith
Awards Officer and Chair of Publications Committee
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Jim Goldsmith started his career at Ordnance Survey in 1978 as a cartographic assistant. He has been actively involved in the creation/ revision /representation of geographical information across many of the scales of mapping. His current role is Senior Production Manager Cartography. He officially joined the BCS council in 2017.
Elaine Watts
Chair of Membership Committee
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Elaine is the Cartographic Specialist and Facility Lead in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham. She delivers a range of specialist map and data visualisation outputs for publications, the University and external clients.
Elaine teaches all undergraduate dissertation students on mapping research data in its many forms, to identify spatial patterns and trends. She manages the schools extensive map collection, liaises and advises external galleries on displaying maps, delivers community outreach and school activities using maps in innovative and engaging ways. And teaches undergraduate students in paper map usage including cartographic bias, cognition and ethics, themes of colonialism, empire and power.
Henry Holbrook
Council Officer
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Henry is a Graphic Cartographer with over 14 years’ experience working for the British Geological Survey. Henry’s roles within the BGS range from map design, production, GIS analysis, data delivery, and an active team role in the production of new datasets. He also manages the logistical side of working with maps, images and spatial data, and specialises in copyright advice related to their use.
Steve Burry
Council Officer
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Steve Burry is the managing director of Dennis Maps Ltd, the largest specialist map printer in the UK, with the company producing more than two million maps each year. Steve takes a great interest in the cartography the company prints, be that the work of individual cartographers, commercial publishers or national mapping agencies.
Dr Alexander Kent
Editor of the Cartographic Journal and Chair of UK Cartography Committee
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Alex is a past president of the Society and a current Vice President of the International Cartographic Association (ICA). After spending 20 years in academia, he was appointed
Honorary Reader in Cartography and Geographic Information Science at Canterbury Christ Church University and now works in the City for World Monuments Fund Britain, where he
leads international projects associated with climate change. Alex holds Fellowships of the British Cartographic Society, Royal Geographical Society, Royal Society of Arts, Society of Antiquaries, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He also serves on the committee of the Charles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps.
Clare Seldon
Social Media Lead​
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Clare is a seasoned cartographic designer and lecturer with more than 25 years' expertise in transport and event mapping. She earned her BSc in Cartography from Oxford Brookes University and has been a Chartered Geographer with the Royal Geographical Society since 2014.
Throughout her career, Clare has received numerous prestigious awards, including recognition in the BCS Awards, the Wallis Award in 2014, and a feature in the Atlas of Design Volume 7 in 2024.
A member of the BCS since 2001, Clare has been part of the BCS Council since 2021. In her role, she focuses on social media outreach and ensuring the continuous development and dissemination of cartographic design education as technology progresses.
John Peaty
Convener of the Historical Military Mapping Group
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Dr John Peaty FRGS FRHistS serves on the Council of the Society for Army Historical Research and is responsible for its Templer Medal book prize. He was the International Secretary of the British Commission for Military History. He serves on the Committee of the Royal Engineers Historical Society, is a founder member of the Royal Air Force Historical Society and a life member of the Institute of Historical Research.
Other Roles
Judith Fox
Editor of Cartographiti
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Judith worked at the University of Reading 1989-2022, initially as Assistant Map Curator in the Geography Department, and later (when the map collection moved to the Library) as Map Librarian in the Academic Liaison Librarian team. She is now retired, but volunteers in the Map Room at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. She has been editor of Cartographiti since 2019.
Martin Davis
Joint Convener of the Map Curators' Group
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Martin is the Digital Map Curator at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, where he also teaches Cartography and GIS. He previously worked at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), of which he remains a Fellow. Martin holds a PhD in Geography from Canterbury Christ Church University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Debbie Hall
Joint Convener of the Map Curators' Group
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Debbie Hall is a Senior Library Assistant in the Map Room of the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford and previously worked in the British Library Map Library and the Map Room of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). She has 30 years’ experience in map libraries and has taken part in many MCG events, contributing to workshops and cataloguing training before becoming co-convener.
Camille Rahier
GeoViz Team
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Based in Sheffield, Camille is a freelance Cartographer and Geospatial Data Consultant. She has a BSc Hons in Geography from Bournemouth University, specialising in GIS. Her interest in the natural world has taken her from Brazil as an Assistant Researcher in coastal erosion to Northern Ireland as a Park Ranger. Since 2020, she has been working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for projects in Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Nigeria.
Alina Vizireanu
Maplines Editor
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​Alina Vizireanu is a GIS professional and passionate advocate for space exploration and community empowerment. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Vice-Chair of the IAF Space Education Outreach Sub-Committee, she currently serves as the Geospatial Manager at Milton Keynes City Council in the UK. She recognised the importance of hands-on activities in cultivating interest in geospatial technologies and the art of map-making, and now leads the BCS Members' magazine, Maplines, where, together with our great editorial team, she curates cartographic stories from around the globe.
Alan Grimwade
Liaison Officer
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Alan Grimwade is Managing Director of Cosmographics Limited. He has over 40 years' experience in the cartographic industry and was a founding partner when Cosmographics formed in 1987.
Alan has served as a Director of the International Map Trade Association (EAME Region), represented that region on the IMTA International Board and has previously served as a BCS Member of Council.
Jennifer Johnston
Restless Earth Workshop
Co-ordinator
Jennifer is a freelance cartographer under the business name Inspirit Cartographics. She has a BA (Hons) in Geography and Fine Art, a postgraduate degree in GIS specialising in cartographic design, and 10 years' of professional experience. She got her start with the Atlas of Canada, Lonely Planet and Explore Australia.
Catherine Colley
BCS Administrator
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Annual Report
As a charity, the BCS is required to submit a full annual report to the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Each year these are approved by the membership at the Annual General Meeting in June.
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A copy of the lastest report for 2023 can be downloaded HERE The report for 2024 will be available later in 2025.
Code of Ethics and Policies
We are committed to providing and sustaining an inclusive environment for everyone involved with the Society.
We are committed to promoting diversity and equality in cartographic and associated professions and condemn all forms of prejudice and discrimination. Honesty, integrity, competence, respect and responsibility are our guiding principles.
You can download our Code of Ethics and Policy Documents here.​