BAMAN: Less time on admin means more time driving change in medical aesthetics

Better governance setting safer standards

For BAMAN, good governance exists to serve a mission. The association is working to professionalise a sector where regulatory gaps put patients at risk and reflect badly on the whole.

For example, although many of the medications themselves, like botulinum toxins, are prescription-only, their application is unregulated. "Anybody can pick up a needle tomorrow and inject it, and it’s completely legal. There’s no standard for education, training, or clinical background," Gareth explains.

BAMAN’s answer is to raise standards from within whilst also engaging directly with government and regulators, a strategy that is now moving regulation forward across the UK, with BAMAN a key part of the conversation:

• Scotland: Legislation passed in March 2026 requires higher-risk procedures such as botulinum toxin and fillers be carried out by, or alongside, a healthcare professional in a registered setting, and bans them for under-18s, with offences expected from September 2027. BAMAN gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament during scrutiny of the bill. (Scottish Government)
• Prescribing: Since June 2025, the NMC has required nurse prescribers to hold a face-to-face consultation before prescribing non-surgical cosmetic medicines. (Hill Dickinson)
• Under-18s: Since 1 October 2021, it has been a criminal offence in England to administer cosmetic botulinum toxin or filler injections to anyone under 18, or to book them in for one. (Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021)
• England: In October 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care launched a consultation proposing further restrictions on high-risk cosmetic procedures, including requirements on practitioners’ qualifications and the settings in which certain treatments can be provided. BAMAN will contribute to the consultation to ensure that the expertise and professional standing of medical aesthetic nurses are properly recognised. (GOV UK)

Working with government is slow, with years of effort behind each step. And though Gareth is clear the work is moving in the right direction, keeping it going takes a board that can track actions across meetings and record and follow up decisions, with volunteer directors who have little spare time for admin.

“Having BoardPro as a helping hand is brilliant. You can see where everything is and where it needs to be. I’m a big fan of the between-meetings tools, and it gives us a format and a template to follow.”

- Abigail Geran, Head of Operations and Company Secretary, BAMAN

Growing scrutiny, and a better way to work

BAMAN has experienced significant growth in recent years, with record membership levels, an expanding programme of professional education and increased engagement with government, regulators and national stakeholders. As its influence and responsibilities have grown, the association has continued to invest in the systems and governance structures needed to support its long-term development.

As Gareth puts it: “We’re at a critical time for our association, so it’s really important that we’re squeaky clean for everything that we’re doing.”

This is a lot to ask of a new board of volunteer directors, who are all clinic owners with busy full-time roles. Before the latest election, board work ran via traditional email, which Gareth describes as “less auditable, less structured, a bit messier”.

With the new directors came a chance to start fresh. Gareth looked at board software and chose BoardPro for its customer service, easy setup and straightforward training.

The board now works with a consistent structure using BoardPro: a clear agenda and notice for every meeting, and a board pack that all directors can read, comment, and vote on, all around their clinic schedules.

“Because it’s easy to use, our directors have enough time to read it all, vote and get things moving. If it was clunky or hard to engage with, it would slow down everything we want to get done.”

- Gareth Lewis, CEO, BAMAN

For Abi, who took on the Company Secretary role only recently, the same structure gives her a clear framework to work within.

“We’re making better decisions, and BoardPro is definitely helping everyone in their new roles. We’re more accountable to our members, so we need to make sure our governance is correct, and BoardPro is definitely the right tool for us.”

- Abigail Geran, Head of Operations and Company Secretary, BAMAN

How BAMAN uses BoardPro

BAMAN’s eight directors are spread across the UK, including Northern Ireland, so most meetings happen online. BoardPro is where the rest of the work gets done.

Decisions between meetings. Flying minutes and electronic resolutions keep the board moving without extra meetings. BAMAN has even updated its articles of association to formalise electronic resolutions, with longer windows so directors can read and challenge reports before voting.

“We’ve included a lot of work on electronic resolutions in our governance, which we wouldn’t necessarily have thought to do if we weren’t using BoardPro.”

- Gareth Lewis, CEO, BAMAN

Clear voting. Two of the eight directors are non-voting. BoardPro makes that clear on every vote, and Gareth can notify those directors of a vote without it counting. He can also see who has read the board pack.

Faster minutes. After an online meeting, the team uploads the Zoom transcript to BoardPro and BoardPro AI produces a first draft of the minutes, which the team then reviews and edits.

“We still go through it with a fine-tooth comb, but having that first draft there to start with, and then being able to change it, is really good.”

- Abigail Geran, Head of Operations and Company Secretary, BAMAN

Admin out of the way, more time to deliver

BAMAN continues to grow, setting standards for conduct, education, and training, and helping direct reform to industry regulation. And BoardPro is there, helping keep the board focused on the mission, with the meetings and records structured and the admin out of the way.

“With BoardPro we’re not getting bogged down in where papers are or when the next meeting is. It’s all really clear and recorded, so we can get on with the stuff we really want to get on with.”

- Gareth Lewis, CEO, BAMAN