Who Will Win Your Vote?

Ahead of the coming Trustee elections, we asked the six candidates to introduce themselves and share their ambitions for IChemE

ON 23 April, voting opened for all Chartered Members, Associate Members and Fellows to decide who will join IChemE’s Board of Trustees and help set the strategic direction of the Institution. There are six candidates in total: three are running for election to vice-president (qualifications) and another three are running for election to regional/ordinary member (UK seat).

To help provide additional insight ahead of members casting their vote for each position, we asked the candidates to introduce themselves and share their views on the future direction of the Institution.

Tell us about some of the ways in which you’ve already contributed to IChemE ahead of this election

Hannah Forbes
I’ve been a mentor since soon after I became Chartered and became a professional reviewer in 2020. I get a lot out of this, learning about different areas of work that chemical engineers are involved in. In the last few years, I’ve been on the Registration Subcommittee and Virtual Election Panel, which is the group that makes the final recommendations for applications to become Chartered or a Fellow. Every few months I review multiple reviews of applications, which is interesting and allows me to bring my experience in working in a less typical area of chemical engineering (solid waste management), in a consultancy and giving careful and positive feedback to the process.

Alan Harper
My volunteer roles have included chair of the Scottish Member Group; as IChemE’s member of Engineering Council’s Quality Assurance Committee and Liaison Officer; a member of IChemE’s Professional Formation Forum; and chair of IChemE’s Professional Development Subcommittee.

Rob Peeling
I was the chair of Thames Valley Member Group for nearly six years and remain a committee member. I became a member of the inaugural Congress in 2019, then the vice-chair a year later, becoming the Congress chair three years ago. I feel Congress is my biggest contribution to IChemE with Congress now recognised as a source of sound advice for the Board of Trustees and IChemE staff on the members’ views on governance and the strategic direction we are moving in. I am also the treasurer of Pharma SIG.

Wahdoud Hazineh
I’ve been lucky to have volunteered for IChemE in various roles since 2013. The majority of my time has been on the North West Member Group as webmaster, secretary, vice-chair and chair of the committee. In 2016 I co-founded the North West Engineering Excellence Awards Dinner with the IMechE North West Committee, with the aim of celebrating success across the spectrum in the region. We have raised money for local charities and showcased that engineers can make a difference to the local community on a grassroots level. I am currently Congress representative for the UK North West and North Wales, a role which funnels member feedback into the IChemE governing body. I am also an IChemE Global Awards judge.

Adrian la Porta
I’ve been a member of the Pharma Special Interest Group committee since the 1990s (if my memory serves me well) including chairing the group. I contributed to the Biofutures report and was a co-founder of the Covid response group. I was part of the group that advised on the setup of the Learned Society Committee and Forum.

Tom Whateley
As bp’s ACTS administrator and an ACTS mentor, I support bp’s early career chemical engineers navigate their professional development, ensuring they gain necessary experience to become competent, capable, ethical engineers. And that they are well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future.