Announcements from the AGM 2023

The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) is delighted to welcome the new BIID President for the 2023-2024 term, May Fawzy, who officially took over the role at the BIID Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 6th July, held at the RIBA, Portland Place, London. The BIID also presented its two prestigious Institute awards, the CPD Award and the Merit Award, to recognise the achievements of individual BIID Members who have made a valuable contribution to the institute.

The BIID AGM provides members with the chance to learn about the Institute’s progress over the past twelve months and vote in new directors.

New BIID President

The AGM marked the official hand-over to new BIID President May Fawzy, who takes over from Mathew Freeman. May is a BIID Registered Interior Designer, Interior Architecture Director and founder of MF Design Studio, an award-winning boutique interior architecture consultancy based in Surrey and London.

Since graduating with an MA in Interior Architecture with Honours, May has worked in various multinational architecture firms until founding her own in 2011. She specialises in commercial workplace interiors and has been responsible for designing and delivering multi-million pounds projects. May is a WELL approved professional and is committed to advance the health and well-being of occupants within the built environment.

Before becoming BIID President, May was formerly a BIID council member and an assessor for new members to ensure their competency in meeting the BIID’s rigorous standards and has been an active member of the BIID community for several years.

May commented: “I’m delighted to take on this exciting new role as President of the BIID. It’s a huge honour to represent our members and to raise awareness of the BIID. I’ll be working closely with the BIID council to ensure the BIID offers our community a wide range of opportunities for professional development, networking and collaboration – I am looking forward to it!”

CPD Award

Commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) helps to ensure that BIID members are keeping up to date with the latest developments in a rapidly changing industry. All BIID Members are required to undertake an annual CPD requirement of 20 hours.

The CPD Award honours the BIID member who gained the most structured hours in that year. At the 2023 AGM, the recipient of the award was BIID Registered Interior Designer Chloe Bullock, who accrued 846 CPD hours between 1st April 2022 and 31st March 2023.

Chloe Bullock is founder of Materialise Interiors, a Brighton-based interior design studio. She has been running Materialise Interiors for 17 years - designing cruelty free, healthy and environmentally friendly interiors for both commercial and residential clients. She is a founding member of Interior Design Declares.

Merit Award

The Merit Award honours a BIID member who has particularly excelled in three key criteria: excellence in interior design practice; a contribution to the development of the Institute and a commitment to the wider field of design education. Chosen by the awards committee, the 2023 award was presented to BIID Registered Interior Designer Susie Rumbold.

Susie Rumbold is the Founder and Creative Director of Tessuto, a multidisciplinary design studio, based in London. Established in 1993, Susie has built up a prestigious portfolio of commercial and private clients. Susie is a Past President of the BIID, prior to that she held several key roles within the institute, including CPD Director.

As BIID President, Susie oversaw the launch of the Institute's online learning platform, The BIID Knowledge Hub. She was responsible for helping to raise the profile of the BIID as the UK’s preeminent membership body and industry voice for professional interior designers, both at home and abroad, including leading a diplomatic trade mission to Japan in November 2016. 

Most recently Susie authored the BIID Interior Design Project Book. Published by RIBA Books, it has fast become the must-have reference tool for running interior design projects of all sizes. The book aligns with the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 and provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide to navigating all aspects of professional practice in interior design, including how to set up and run your own interior design business.

The 2023 BIID AGM was followed by the BIID Summer Party, one of the BIID’s most popular events, attended by over 150 members and guests, at the inspiring showroom of Jab International Furnishings in London.

View the highlights from the Summer Party here.