Caroline Bovey has been bestowed a BDA Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding and sustained personal commitment as Chair of the BDA, former Chair of Bwrdd Cymru and the BDA Wales Employment Relations Committee.
Her invaluable contributions to the BDA Trade Union were recognised, and in 2015 she was awarded the Mary Turner Award.
Her leadership during the transformation from an elected Council to a Board of Directors, with non-executive member and layperson recruited positions, has revitalised governance, advanced membership growth, championed equality, and delivered a dynamic, inclusive strategy that meets the evolving needs of the profession and the association.
Caroline works as the Lead Public Health Dietitian at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Wales and chaired the Health Boards LGBT Advisory Group to improve patient and staff wellbeing. This group influenced policy changes and in 2016 she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to equality in NHS Wales. Caroline’s commitment to inclusivity has been the hallmark of her personal and BDA career and she continued to advance equality through her BDA volunteering - spearheading the establishment of the BDA’s first EDI Committee which reports directly to the Board of Directors.
Caroline’s unwavering dedication to the BDA and the profession spans over 20 years and she is the first BDA Chair to have held three consecutive terms of office. Her legacy of membership growth, inclusivity and sustainability ensures that the BDA and the profession remains adaptable and well prepared to meet future challenges.
Caroline shared what receiving a Fellowship means to her.
What does it mean to you to receive the Fellowship?
I’m not sure that this is something I can easily put into words. I recall attending a BDA conference quite a few years back where a large number of Fellows, many of whom were previous Chairs, were in attendance. I recall being completely in awe of these dietitians who had been instrumental in the formation, growth and vision setting for our association. To now be one of their number – humbled is the word that sums it up, I think!
What drove you to become a dietitian in the first place and be where you are today?
I spent most of my early working life cooking – first as part of the general catering team at my local hospital in west Wales on a job creation scheme and then running my own small retail wholefood shop and bakery. As I got more and more interested in the technical knowledge of dietary science, and reflected back on those days in the hospital kitchens, I started to explore options to turn my interest into a professional career.
It was quite a journey – I had left school with some pretty ropey O-Levels (yes, I am that old) and came from a working class background, where we grew up not knowing anyone who had been to university. I had to undertake a part-time Access to Science course whilst still working in order to support myself and two years later found myself, at the age of 40, heading to Cardiff to start my degree.
The opportunity to turn my interest in food and to hone my nutrition knowledge kept me going through some difficult learning. Because food and an interest in access to sufficient and adequate food remained my passion, practice in a public health role naturally emerged as my career path.
Who would you say inspires you?
I have been inspired by so many dietitians over the entire duration of my career. From those demonstrating amazing leadership (at all levels, from students to senior managers) through to others who regularly go above and beyond to provide excellent patient care in trying circumstances such as resource and financial limitations, geographical challenges and often a lack of wider appreciation for the profession and in health and social care circles.
Jill Evans saved me when I joined the NHS in my first role. I have spoken often about this and to many it won’t be a surprise. Before retirement, Jill was a manager in the workforce team and our paths crossed very soon after I joined my employer organisation. I was filled with self-doubt and having a massive identity crisis – not from the right sort of background, an out gay woman, non-conventional dress sense, and so on…. Jill took me in hand and coached me through those difficult times, gently nudging me to be part of the solution – the feelings were genuine but she helped me to understand how to accept that it was okay to look different, to have different life choices to those I saw around me, to carve out a space for myself and to role model this behaviour for others. Jill regularly reminded me to be the change you want to see. That stands to this day.
What advice would you give to future dietitians?
Work hard and be kind! Don’t be afraid to dream big, and to respectfully challenge the status quo. Its important too to know that it’s okay to reach out for help yourself, and to support others in difficult times whenever you can.
What has been the highlight to your dietetic career to date?
The highlight of my career has been chairing the BDA for over six years between 2018 and 2024. I started out as a BDA volunteer over twenty years ago as a local Trade Union rep. I didn’t really know what I was supposed to be doing but soon fell in with the amazing volunteer body and received so much help from the BDA staff team and other volunteers that I knew I had landed in the right place.
The more I learned about our association the more involved I wanted to become. I’m not someone who is naturally outgoing or specifically visionary for practice, but I did know that I wanted to be part of modernising and diversifying the association to protect the membership for the future – I never quite dreamed that I would be doing that from the position of Chair but that has been the pinnacle of my career.
