It is with great pride and humility that I take on the role of President of the Institute of Quarrying (IQ) from Viv Russell. It is an honour to continue where Viv left off, and I appreciate the achievements he made during his tenure in moving IQ’s strategic journey forward, increasing engagement with the general public through the acquisition of the National Stone Centre, and developing strong working relationships with the Combined Authority and Strategic Forum.
Our progress is made as a team, and I thank Viv most sincerely for his passion and commitment at the helm. As I begin my own two-year service as President, I first congratulate Ben Uphill as he takes my former role of IQ Chair, and Helen Bailey who joins as Deputy, together with new Board Members Paula Wardle, Rob Maurice Jones, and Wayne Darwin. Together, the addition of their experience will enable IQ to continue building its industry links and supporting members through a Board of Trustees that is representative of our wide and evolving sector, and I welcome the presence of their evident positivity at branches over coming months.
I pass Ben not only the role of IQ Chair, but also the reins in chairing the Quarries National Joint Advisory Committee (QNJAC). Created back in 1993 with a vision to perform as the original strategic, standard-raising forum for safer working practices, this organization has never had a more important role and I wish Ben every success with both influential positions.
Beginning as I mean my presidential tenure to go on, I recently presented at the BAA Conference in Harrogate on the future of the Strategic Safety Forum. The group collaboration and tone of the conference were both excellent and led me to again feel proud and privileged to perform my leadership of IQ through
service and purpose.
Also, at the recent AGM strategic review session, I felt both Board and Council succeeded in comprehensively appraising IQ’s overall strategy and direction for the next five years, clearly placing member importance at the core of everything we do. Their continuous engagement and the development of our membership programme is critical to the future of IQ, locally, nationally, and internationally, and it is my intention as President to use collective connections and capabilities to increase that global outreach whenever I can. With this sense of purpose in mind, I very much look forward to meeting with the group of International Presidents and presenting on behalf of our UK Institute at the IQ International Conference in Adelaide, Australia, this October.
Over the next two years, I intend for my strategic, engaged, and service-driven approach to further build on the strong foundations already in place for IQ. Guided by passion, education, and teamwork, we can continue to serve our branches and support our industry through challenges and change.
