Business Continuity Institute

The BCI is a membership organisation which operates to support those working in continuity and resilience professions across the world. Its name no longer maps as an acronym (Business Continuity Institute). The change was implemented to increase its appeal to the wider resilience professions audience. The organisation has two registered limited companies associated with it in the UK. The first "The Business Continuity Institute Limited" has been dormant since 2022^[1] and the second, "The BCI Forum Limited".^[2]

Certification (CBCI) is awarded to individuals who have passed a multiple choice exam confirming an individuals understanding of the Good Practice Guidelines (GPG) which is now in its 7th edition. The Good Practice Guidelines map a process of continuity and resilience requirements that organisations should consider when developing and maintaining their continuity and resilience requirements. Payment of an annual maintains membership status for individuals and organisations.

History

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 by Andrew Hiles and others, evolving from the Survive Group - a network of disaster recovery and business continuity experts.

The Institute's initial vision was to enable individual members to obtain guidance and support from fellow business continuity practitioners.

The BCI's first AGM was held in 1995 in London, becoming an independent organisation in May 1997. It was initially led by John Marsh and then John Sharp.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004 the BCI expanded, moving to office space in Caversham, Berkshire under the leadership of new Executive Director, Lorraine Darke. Lorraine continued in this role until September 2016, when she stepped down - being replaced by David Thorp, the current BCI Executive Director.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, the BCI is based in Reading, UK, and has over 9,000 members in more than 120 countries. More details of the development of the BCI are available in a timeline listing^[3] on the Institute's website.