Sami Strutt to leave BIGGA after 30 years

Sami Strutt is leaving the The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) after a 30-year career at the organisation.

Most recently the association’s chief operating officer, Strutt joined BIGGA in 1993 as an administration assistant before rising through the organisation. She was appointed chief operating officer in 2022, a role which saw her oversee the activities of BIGGA’s membership team with a remit to advance the operational structure of the association.

During her time at BIGGA, Strutt has seen a number of major developments, including the development of the association’s continuing professional development programme, Continue to Learn and the Future Turf Managers’ Initiative. She was also instrumental in the development of the Master Greenkeeper Certificate, the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards and the BIGGA Delegation to the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show with Bernhard and Company.

She is set to leave BIGGA in February 2024 to take up a role as education director at the Bernhard Academy.

Strutt said: “I have loved working for BIGGA and I anticipated spending my entire career with the association.

“Being able to have so much input into a business that I joined when I was so young was amazing, but I’m certain that this move is the right decision.

“This opportunity with the Bernhard Academy is one that I never imagined would be made available to me, so it is one that I couldn’t turn down.

“My certainty that this is the right decision is testament to what I have achieved with BIGGA, as the association has given me the experience and ability to take this next step.”