Tess Day and Stacy Edghill have been appointed as area directors with responsibility for day-to-day operations. Aberdeen-based Tess Day is owner of Mindblox, a business skills training provider, while Aberdeenshire-based Stacy Edghill is the founder of Hibiscus Media and Events, a social media management and events company.

Both will take on their BNI duties alongside their current roles of running their own businesses. Tess has been a BNI member for over four years, while Stacy has been involved with BNI for the past five years.

BNI Scotland North executive director Angela Kinghorn will take on a more strategic and planning role as part of her duties, while Bryan Kinghorn steps down from his role as executive director at BNI due to increased commitments as chief executive of a UK wellness company but remains a member of the Aberdeen-based BNI Solar networking group.

BNI Scotland North has generated more than £27 million worth of business for its members in the past 18 months. The networking group has more than 350 members in total. The organisation is part of BNI (Business Network International) - the largest face-to-face and online business networking referral organisation in the world, with more than 288,000 members in over 10,600 global chapters operating in over 75 countries. BNI has over 500 groups in the UK and Ireland.

Angela Kinghorn said: “Tess and Stacy are excellent additions to an expanded leadership team. In addition, we will be seeking director consultants and ambassadors to support our plans for the region going forward.

“I’d also like to thank Bryan for all his efforts in the past five-and-a-half years. He will continue to support me in my role as executive director.”

Tess Day added: “BNI is an excellent organisation to be a part of and I look forward to working alongside Stacy and Angela to help develop the BNI Scotland North network.”

Stacy Edghill commented: “I wholeheartedly believe in BNI and what it stands for, so I am absolutely delighted to be taking on this new challenge. I look forward to getting to know all of the members and offering them the support they need to get the most out of their BNI membership.”

BNI Scotland North is owned by Angela Kinghorn and her husband Bryan. The BNI network allows companies the opportunity to meet weekly and help each other grow their respective businesses by referring each other for relevant opportunities through their connections.

There are 17 networking groups in BNI Scotland North including six in Aberdeen, two in Dundee, two in the Highlands and Islands and additional groups for the Elgin, Peterhead, Stonehaven, Montrose, Perth, Stirling and Dunfermline areas.

BNI members pay a joining fee and a monthly fee to be part of a group, which holds weekly meetings to pass on business leads and generate referrals. Each group is formed on a competitor-free basis; only one business from a specific market sector is included in each group.