2024: The good, the bad and the indifferent


“ Ov erv ie w


The year 2024 has proved to be something of a challenge, a strange concoction of highs and lows. Good business planning is essential, but it has been a year that took me by surprise, not that most people outside the IIMS head office will have noticed, I hope. Any thoughts I might have had of this being a celebratory year - an easy ride as one might say - given it was the tenth anniversary of my arrival at IIMS, were dashed and swept away soon into the year.


IIMS has had a very settled and committed team for six years, but this


By Mike Schwarz, IIMS Chief Executive Officer


Business life is not a matter of holding good cards always, but sometimes is a case of playing a poor hand well.


started to unravel with a number of departures and the pattern continued until mid-year. There were various reasons for this exodus, but it meant that much of the first half of the year has been spent recruiting, which as you may know can be a time- consuming and sometimes thankless task! As a consequence, the dynamics of the business have changed, which is by no means a bad thing necessarily. New faces bring fresh vitality, new ideas and see things differently to their predecessors. Ultimately any business is a reflection of its people and is shaped by them. We can have the best products and services, but until AI fully takes over and people are no longer needed(!), they remain the essential ingredient.


50 | ISSUE 110 | DEC 2024 | THE REPORT


As well as replacing departing staff, two new positions have been created to cater for the changing needs of the business, bringing our team to 12 people - yet more recruiting! Firstly, Frances Birkett joined the Institute as Marketing & Publishing Executive, and she has taken some of the essential workload off my shoulders. It means we have been able to further increase our marketing reach.


Our Certifying Authority has experienced rapid growth in the past year, especially in the area of tonnage processing. Erin Kelsey has joined IIMS to handle that work, but also to understudy David Parsons in his work as Certifying Authority administrator. More on that later.


”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148