INDUSTRY VOICE
New team elected to head BMF Young Merchants
JO CALLOW, HEAD of
Communications for UK & Ireland at Knauf Insulation is the new Chair of the BMF’s Young Merchant Group. She will be supported by Ed Parlato, Buyer at Browns Builders Merchants as Vice Chair. Jo takes over from Glenn Paddison, who completed his term as Chair at the BMF Young Merchant Conference held this year at the NEC, Birmingham. Jo has been an active member of the Young Merchant Group for seven years, serving as Vice Chair since 2018. She joined the Group after winning the BMF Young Supplier Achiever Award in 2014. Jo is keen to continue developing
Minister attacks ugly buildings
EMBODIED OR EMBEDDED carbon in the manufacture of construction inputs is a hot topic. This has been heightened by world-wide energy price rises and the impact on the energy- intensive industries.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove MP has linked ugly buildings to embodied carbon in a sign that his future planning reforms may seek to limit the use of steel and concrete. Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Mr Gove said: “We need to think about the materials with which we build … some of the materials which have been favoured in the past like steel and concrete are those with the highest level of embedded carbon and often the materials that are least likely to win fans”. The BMF notes the Planning Bill has not yet been tabled in Parliament and we do not expect it until well into the New Year.
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the BMF Young Merchant’s work and influence. She said: “I am delighted and honoured to take on the role of Chair and looking forward to working with Ed to build on all that Glenn achieved during his chairmanship. The current drive to achieve net zero makes this a particularly exciting time, offering even more opportunities for young people entering the industry. I know from my own experience how the interaction within the Young Merchant Group helps members as they build their careers. Our focus will be on delivering quality events to support this.”
Vice Chair, Ed Parlato, is currently
involved in the purchasing side of Browns an independent, family run merchants in Derby, but has tackled many other roles in the business over the years. He is also part of the NBG Category Management team for tools and workwear. He said: “The Young Merchant group has grown enormously in the past few years. When I first joined there were 20 people at the meeting, the latest Conference had over 150. Every Chair has built on the work of the last and I’m looking forward to working with Jo and supporting her over the next two years, and I will be listening to members of the group to make sure their views are represented.
If the last 18 months has shown us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. I always marvel at the intelligence and creativity of all the people in Young Merchants, and I hope I can capture part of that to share with the wider industry.” The BMF Young Merchant Group supports merchants and suppliers aged between 18 and 40 in their career development. Membership is open to those holding a key management position within their organisation. They benefit from twice yearly meetings and networking events, and an annual fact-finding trip, normally overseas.
Hundreds of Travis Perkins apprentices join IOBM
TRAVIS PERKINS HAS become the first national merchant to support The Institute of Builders Merchants’ ambitious plans to professionalise the merchant industry by signing up a large number of its apprentices as student members.
More than 800 Travis Perkins apprentices joined the IOBM on 1 October 2021. New apprentices joining Travis Perkins will also be given the opportunity to join the Institute.
Student members benefit from the IOBM’s role as an independent accreditation body and its structured framework for Continuing Professional Development. Bi-annual conferences for student members are also due to begin in autumn 2022. Unlike most employers, Travis Perkins is an accredited provider of apprenticeships with over 40 apprenticeship programmes on offer, suited to a wide range of candidates. These include existing employees who want to develop their skills or build expertise in other areas as they progress to new roles, as well as those joining the industry, either from school or university or migrating over to an apprenticeship having joined the business
from the Government’s Kickstarter programme, or those switching from a former occupation later in their careers.
Andy Rayner, Head of
Apprenticeships and Early Careers for Travis Perkins Group, said: “We pride ourselves on providing a full range of apprenticeships
from the branch counter to the Boardroom. Our apprenticeships are designed to support existing employees as well as individuals with no prior knowledge of our industry or our business, to give them the skills they need to become valued colleagues. This is very much in line with the ethos of the IOBM and by introducing our apprentices to the Institute as student members, they will be able to assess how active membership can support them as they continue to develop their careers..” BMF CEO, John Newcomb said: “The IOBM Management Committee set a membership target of 1,000 new members by the end of the year. With the support of Travis Perkins, we will achieve this by the end of October. It is particularly encouraging to see the largest builders’ merchant in the UK bringing such a significant number of new recruits to the industry into membership.”
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2021
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