Chairman's Address
Firstly, I would like to thank outgoing chairman,
Steve Whipp of UU. Steve has worked hard over the past year to coordinate the activities of the branch and ensure
that a full program of events was organized and implemented without a hitch. Thanks also to the rest of the committee
who have helped Steve to keep things running smoothly.
I would particularly like to express all of our thanks to Peter Jellis who has just stepped down after several years as branch secretary.
This is arguably the most important job on the committee as the secretary has to keep abreast of everything that is happening and guide
all the ‘newbies’ like myself so that we all know what to do.
I am a relative newcomer to the pipeline industry; having worked in the offshore and nuclear industries until just 3 years ago.
However in those 3 years, thanks to my involvement with PIG, I have come to feel very much at home.
Regarding our program, I hope that we strike the right balance between technical and social activities,
but if any of you feel we need to address particular issues or if you think a particular social event would be popular,
then please let me know.
I have chosen IT as my theme, since I am strongly of the opinion that we under-utilise the benefits that are available to us from IT,
in all areas, from data collection in the field to advanced analysis in design, to more efficient use of PCs in everyday project management and reporting.
We are currently arranging talks within this theme and our program can be viewed on this website.
As is usual we will again be holding joint meetings with IWO, CIWEM and UKSTT.
This has the dual benefit of attracting a wider audience to our own meetings
and giving our own members some exposure to these other closely related disciplines.
Plus of course extending the networking opportunities for everyone.
I look forward to seeing you all at our meetings and at the dinner in November.
Rob Bruce, A B Rhead & Associates Ltd, May 2007
Chairman - Northern Branch
RobBruce@ABRhead.com
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