President & People
New MD for Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre One of the UK's leading figures in vocational and technical learning has been appointed as managing director of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre.
It’s quite astonishing what can happen in a few short weeks and I, along with most of the of the world, have looked on in horror at what is happening in Ukraine. The lives of countless people have been totally and utterly destroyed, life for all those affected will probably never ever be the same again – or will take a long, long time to recover any form of normality; and for what? It’s beyond my comprehension and I long for a day when all countries are ruled or governed by people who should know better, have the best interests of their fellow citizens at heart and instead of self-perceived glorification. Start acting like true leaders! However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is also having an affect closer to home, with all of us facing huge increases in our energy bills and fuel costs, which obviously hits businesses and I know the Chambers of Commerce are lobbying Government to help ease the burden. I just hope that after the enormous economic cost of the pandemic, the Government has some money left in the pot! On a lighter note, I had the honour of attending the Coventry and Solihull YOU WM launch event at Coventry College, supported by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. I met some truly inspirational young people from the Army Cadets, Boys’ Brigade, Combined Cadet Forces, Fire Cadets, Girlguiding, Girls’ Brigade, RAF Air Cadets, Sea Cadets, Scouts, St John Ambulance and the Volunteer Police Cadets. They were all a great credit to the organisations they represented, and it was both fascinating and uplifting to hear of their aspirations and career plans. Now they say there is no such thing as a free lunch, well, I’m here to inform you there certainly is; especially if you are a Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce member! It comes in the form of the Big Business ‘Thank You’ lunch, to be held at the fabulous IXL Centre in Southam, complete with an incredible keynote speaker, none other than Lord Coe CH KBE. Whom after his career as a sportsman, went into politics and became an MP, before he took on a role of leading the bid, and ultimately delivering the hugely successful London 2012 games. So, get the date in your diary Thursday 31st March, 11.30 to 15.30. It has all the makings of being a spectacular event, for further information please contact a member of the Chamber events team on 024 7665 4321 Opt 1, or email events@cw-chamber.co.uk. Finally, the process has begun of finding a replacement for Louise Bennett OBE DL, the Chamber’s long-standing CEO, of whom I paid tribute to in last month’s column. There were over 100 applicants for the position, such is the standing of this great Chamber. There were some outstanding individuals and a huge thank you to all that applied. Best regards Tom Mongan
44
David Grailey has more than 30 years’ experience in the UK education and skills sector. He will take on the role of leading the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) – based on the Manufacturing Technology Centre campus in Coventry – as it continues to fortify the UK’s manufacturing sector with the next generation of future-proofed engineers and technicians. For the last 20 years David has led two commercially successful qualification businesses. For the last 13 years he was chief executive of NCFE, one of the UK's largest awarding bodies for vocational, technical and academic qualifications.
While at Newcastle upon Tynebased NCFE, he and his team grew the number of student registrations from 75,000 to more than 616,000. The business was listed in The Times Top 100 Companies to Work For nine times, while significantly increasing profits and turnover. He led the significant investment into setting up an apprenticeship End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO), which delivered more than 7,500 assessments in its first full year in operation. Before this, David Grailey was chief executive of Food & Drink Qualifications, the qualifications organisation for the food and drink manufacturing sector. Previously he held several education and skills appointments, including at University College Salford. A former butchery apprentice himself, he went on to obtain an MSc from Cranfield University.
He said: "I’m delighted to be joining the AMTC team and the wider MTC team. Leading and growing an important educational business such as the AMTC is a great opportunity to help more apprentices and existing manufacturers achieve higher skill levels, equipping them to be trailblazing for UK manufacturing and impacting on our global competitiveness.” For more information visit www.the-mtc.org
Richard scoops top award somebody wants to describe how things should be done from a construction point of view within the organisation, Gary is always the benchmark. His mentality continues in Deeley Group today, through the approaching of challenges head on, working together as part of a collective effort and producing results.”
Gail Duxbury, Richard Duxbury, Julie Whelan and Peter Deeley
A senior employee of a top Midlands-based developer has joined a select group of workers, both past and present, who have been named winners of Deeley Group’s top internal prize. Richard Duxbury, senior design and build manager at Deeley Construction, has become the tenth recipient of the Gary Neville Award, set up as a lasting legacy to one of the firm’s finest ever employees. This award was created in 2012 in tribute to the former Deeley Group contracts manager and is voted for in-house, crowning the staff member who never hesitates to go above and beyond. Richard’s coronation is a significant one, as his award win marks a decade of the initiative’s existence.
He said: “To win the Gary Neville Award at Deeley Group is a special moment for me personally. I’d like to thank all of my colleagues, both in the office and on site. It’s been a joy to work with you these last eight years. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Gary but his achievements speak for themselves. When
Peter Deeley, joint managing director of Deeley Group, said: “Richard is an extremely wellregarded member of our team, with so many of his values matching those that Gary himself possessed. “Over the past decade, everyone at the company has embraced the award as we remember Gary and the popular, talented and largerthan-life figure that he was. “Whilst employed by the Deeley Group, Richard has carried himself with great integrity and worked diligently, building a reputation as an approachable, gifted colleague who is always the first to lend a hand.”
“To win the Gary Neville Award at Deeley Group is a special moment for me personally. I’d like to thank all of my colleagues, both in the office and on site. It’s been a joy to work with you these last eight years." www.cw-chamber.co.uk
