Lester Bennett Confirmed as President of the BIID

Lester who has a wealth of experience in design both here and abroad has been confirmed as President of BIID for 2020/21. He has previously served on the Professional Practice Committee as Chair, a term on the Membership Committee and for several years as assessor and student mentor.

“ I feel very honoured to be the new president of the BIID, there have been so many amazing people who have fulfilled this role in the past, not least Harriet from whom I am taking over, that I am only too aware that these are big boots to fill! This will certainly be a challenging year but I am extremely lucky in that I have the support of a most excellent Council and admin staff who work tirelessly for the benefit of the Institute and its members. I look forward to continuing the work on the initiatives we already have in place, to help our members through this difficult time, and also to help develop further ideas to benefit and expand our membership.

It has been a continuous struggle for IDs to gain full recognition as professionals and I consider it a hugely important task to continue the work of the Institute in raising our profile and the status of Registered Interior Designer in the eyes of the general public, both private and professional clients along with our fellow professionals within the Construction Industry.

There are many other important issues which we are tackling but to effect change requires force of numbers and financial strength, and so I would urge any of you who feel these or any other issues are important to you to join us and work on committees, assessment panels and mentoring schemes. We all volunteer our time for the benefit of the BIID and the design community as a whole, your community, so help us move forward we would love to have you involved."

Prior to setting up Folio Design LLP(now KSR Interiors), Lester was Design Director at Westcity Wates/Westcity Developers, delivering prestigious and iconic London residential schemes such as West End Quay, The Phillimores  (now Academy Gardens), Pavilion Apartments and Phillimore Square ( now Thornwood Gardens ).

Lester has always had an eclectic interest in all things architectural and design from classical to the present day. Pouring over copies of drawings, ancient and not so ancient, over the years  has led him to develop a deep passion for hand drawing in all its forms, something he would like to share and encourage during his presidency.