When I first took up my role as CEO all those years ago, it never dawned on me that I would make so many good and lasting business friendships with many IIMS members. But at last month’s Western Mediterranean Large Yacht & Small Craft working group, held at Palma, Mallorca, it was like being back amongst ‘old’ friends, and it was great to catch up with familiar faces!
This working group meets annually and has been doing so for many years, and although the attendees are usually recognisable individuals, with a few newbies turning up, there is always so much to talk about and share, as was the case this time. This networking and its importance, bringing surveyors together, can’t be overstressed. In my opening comments, I said that it felt like coming home at the end of a long day and easing into my favourite pair of old slippers! It was an excellent event, and I am grateful to all who contributed over the two days.
Announcing awards and recognising exceptional contributions to the marine surveying profession are always pleasing. So, I have great pleasure in announcing three honours. In no order of preference, IIMS has recognised the contribution of three exceptional maritime professionals. They are Nigel Cox, who has been awarded a Fellowship, Joel Lloyd Pinheiro, who also becomes a Fellow, and Joe McWilliam, who has been given an Honorary Fellowship. You can read the citations for the aforementioned men elsewhere in the June News Bulletin. They were formally recognised at the IIMS Annual General Meeting.
One of the items and initiatives I announced at the AGM relates to the specialisations that are published on each individual’s listing on the IIMS surveyor search app and website search. Primarily, I have two concerns. The first is that when someone searches for a surveyor, the information displayed should be accurate. And in some cases, it is not.
The Management Board has determined that the term ‘specialisations’ is to be withdrawn. It will be replaced by the term ‘surveying experience’. By that, we mean the types of surveying activities that are regularly undertaken by a member on a daily or regular basis and not those that they may occasionally undertake from time to time. It is important for the Institute to do all it can to make the search results accurate.
The second point is about the surveyor’s own reputation. By effectively advertising a surveying activity through the IIMS search facilities that is no longer within their scope, it could lead to personal reputational damage.
So, if you are an IIMS member with specifications on your listing that you have not reviewed and updated for a considerable time, you are urged to do the responsible thing and check as soon as possible. It may be that there are some activities you are no longer engaged in and others that you have now acquired the skills to do.
The month of June has been hectic and is often one of the busiest in the IIMS calendar. It started with the Annual General Meeting, which was preceded by the quarterly Management Board meeting. The following week, IIMS exhibited with a stand at the Seawork show in Southampton. And now we are knee deep, heading into our DNV ISO 9001:2015 annual audit. Usually a one-day affair, this year we have chosen to enhance our certification by bringing our Certifying Authority into scope. That adds another level of auditing and complexity, so we have two and a half days to get through this year!
And finally, many congratulations to IIMS Membership Secretary, Rachel Moores, who got married last month to Brad. From now on, going forward, she is known as Rachel Lock.
Survey well
Mike Schwarz