The Building Controls Industry Association (BCIA) has appointed a brand-new president, with Graeme Rees set to take over from Terry Sharp.
Sharp took the role of President of the BCIA two years ago, with Graeme Rees serving as his Vice President. Now, with Terry Sharp standing down from the presidency, Rees is to take the mantle of President.
Rees is currently the UK & Ireland Digital Energy Marketing Manager for Schneider Electric and has been involved in the building controls industry for more than 30 years, after starting his career as a Project Engineer at Lidworth Ltd. He later moved on to Bristol Management Systems before spending 19 years at Trend Control Systems, where he worked his way up from Regional Field Services Manager to Marketing Director.
Early in 2019 Graeme was elected on to the BCIA’s Management Committee and he will now use his years of experience gained in industry to build on his predecessor’s work in building on the BCIA’s position as a leading influence on standards, professionalism and innovation for its members.
Alongside the promotion of Rees to President of the BCIA, his former role of Vice President will be taken by Paul Wetherfield, who is the CEO of Global Associates.
On his tenure as President, Sharp noted, “I would like to thank everybody for their hard work and assistance during what has been an unpredictable two years for reasons outside of our control. It now gives me great pleasure to pass the baton on to Graeme who is not only a great friend but also a hard-working and very knowledgeable colleague. I am extremely grateful for the help and support he has provided in his two years as Vice-President and I wish him the very best of luck in taking the BCIA forward.”
Graeme Rees added, “It is a huge honour for me to become President of the BCIA and I would like to thank Terry for helping to ensure the industry stepped up in response to what was and still remains an uncertain time. The roll out of the BEMS Controls Engineer Apprenticeship during his term will also help secure a key starting point for anybody looking to carve out a career in what can be a hugely rewarding industry. Looking ahead, I wish to build on Terry’s good work by tackling a number of issues and themes in order to keep the BCIA moving in the right direction.”