AGM: President and CEO look back at eventful year

IHEEM’s 2021 AGM took place ‘virtually’ on 21 December, in accord with the Council’s decision not to hold face-to-face meetings and events during 2021. President, Paul Fenton, reported on some of the challenges the Institute, its members, and the profession had encountered in a difficult year, as well as some of the distinct ‘highs’, while CEO, Pete Sellars, looked ahead to IHEEM’s plans for 2022 and beyond. The winner of the 2021 IHEEM Lifetime Achievement Award was also announced. HEJ editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.

With the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic still in place, IHEEM’s President, Paul Fenton, got the Institute’s 54th AGM under way by explaining that the year’s meeting had been ‘specifically designed’ to allow the safe transaction of business that would meet IHEEM’s legal obligations. He said he was pleased to see so many members had signed up to attend the ‘virtual’ event. With this brief introduction and welcome, he called on Pete Sellars to read the Notice of the Annual General Meeting. Having done so, the IHEEM CEO then set out the agenda items, including the presentation of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The first agenda item was to sign the Minutes of the 2020 IHEEM AGM, held ‘virtually’ on 9 December 2020; these were unanimously approved as a true record via an online vote-casting system. Agenda item two saw Paul Fenton look back briefly on 2021 – his first year as IHEEM President. He said: “I am extremely proud of everything we have achieved – against all the challenges 2021 has thrown at us – as an Institute, a profession, and as individuals. Once again, despite the continuing challenges, the Institute has had a successful year. Membership has grown significantly – proof that membership of a professional organisation that seeks to continually support its members has never been more valued.”