New board member… and record-breaking growth
28 June 2024
Rob Fisher joins board of leading accrediting body CFTS
The UK’s largest accrediting body for the Thorough Examination of lifting equipment across the materials handling, agriculture, and construction sectors has announced the appointment of Rob Fisher as its newest board member.
Surprisingly, among his first duties in his new role was to announce record growth for the organisation, not only in terms of the volume of inspections conducted but also the number of companies accrediting to CFTS.
“It’s a truly remarkable success story,” Mr Fisher explains. “And one I have been following with great admiration. The organisation has achieved consistent 10% annual growth in the number of Thorough Examinations undertaken by its accredited companies. Last year, that hit a record 17%.
“But its achievements don’t end there. CFTS has gone from zero at its formation just a few years ago, to boasting more than 800 locations nationwide where owners of equipment can obtain a CFTS-accredited Thorough Examination.
“For employers and owners of equipment that needs mandatory inspection, it means that no matter where you are located in the UK, you can benefit from a quality-assured, independently audited, Thorough Examination delivered to a single consistent standard.”
“However, while I’m delighted to be in a position to reveal such great performance figures, I certainly can’t take any of the credit. That must go to my predecessors Tim Waples and Cameron Burnett, who, with the full support of David Goss, have done an outstanding job of developing CFTS as a market-leading subsidiary of UKMHA.
“Supported wholeheartedly by the boards of both UKMHA and CFTS they have ensured that this organisation has delivered unflagging success. I see my role as looking and learning more about a business that runs like a well-oiled machine and developing close working relationships with every member of the CFTS team.”
Chairman of the CFTS board, Geoff Martin, was among the first to welcome Rob and to acknowledge the qualities and experience he will bring. “Rob will be the perfect fit. He has long been a pivotal figure within the materials handling industry and has an enviable track record in business management. To many he will be best known for the 19 years he has spent spearheading the IMHX exhibition on behalf of Informa Markets as partners of co-owners UKMHA. His arrival on the CFTS board was a consequence of his appointment as CEO of our parent company UKMHA.”