As we all settle back into work after the seasonal break, many of us will be re-evaluating our professional lives and setting new goals for the year ahead. What that looks like will vary widely, but I’m sure that we all set out with the best intentions.
What a year 2019 finally turned out to be; a changing of the prime ministerial guard, a snap election and whichever way we may feel about it individually, hopefully, a resolution to the impasse of Brexit. Now with the election firmly behind us, we can finally enter 2020 with greater certainty about where the industry is heading.
This month’s President's blog lands on your doorstep just a matter of days before the UK general election. It’s not certain what next year will bring for the country or our industry, but as the end of 2019 approaches, I think that we can be positive and proud of our progress and that of our colleagues in the sector. Whatever the outcome of the general election, we can be sure that our industry’s contribution is of fundamental importance in supporting the drive for economic success for the country.
It is hard to believe that a year has passed since the IQ Fellows Lunch and Student Awards at the Tower of London. It was a great environment to celebrate the successes of students from the University of Derby Centre for Mineral Products. I look forward to returning this November to celebrate another year of academic achievements.
Celebrating what we do in the mineral attractiveness sector is something we should do more often. We work in an industry which we can be proud of and we should share that pride in how we present what we do to our colleagues, our families, our communities, the press and the wider public.
Every now and again it’s worth taking time to reflect that what each of us does in our daily jobs plays a small but important part in a much bigger global industry and profession, driving social and economic development and growth.
In my last column, I outlined a number of the approaches and activities to drive innovation that the industry and IQ have undertaken over the years. Rapid advances in technology, and its application to what we do, means we are now facing unprecedented changes in the way we work.
As we move into the second half of 2019, we as an Institute are focusing on the third pillar of the Strategy launched at last year Fellows lunch. Our ambition to drive innovation and operational best practice seeks to meet the immediate needs of the industry and to understand and prepare our members for the demands of the future.
Over the last quarter I have focussed on the importance of leadership and how the Institute is supporting those who are destined to be the next generation of leaders in the industry. I have also highlighted some of the work that the Institute of Quarrying (IQ) is undertaking to support all members in developing their skills and knowledge around leadership.
As President of the Institute of Quarrying (IQ), I am in a privileged position following in the footsteps of my predecessors in this role, all of whom have helped build the Institute into the organisation it is today. Whilst the time within the role is relatively short, we have all aspired to ensure the long-term goals of the Institute are progressed.