Rob Best awarded IChemE Council Medal

ROB Best has been awarded the IChemE Council Medal, in recognition of his long-standing service to the Institution’s university accreditation process.

The medal recognises members who have gone above and beyond in their volunteering role, providing exceptional service on an IChemE special project.

Best is chair of the IChemE Education and Accreditation Forum (EAF), sits on the Qualifications Committee and is a fellow of the Institution. He was nominated for his work on university accreditation, notably for leading the revision and development of the 2015 University Accreditation Guidance Documents. His leadership on the review followed the sudden death of Colin Grant in September 2014.

Upon receiving the medal, Best said: “I am, of course, honoured to be awarded the Council Medal. In accepting the medal, I must pay tribute to the late Colin Grant. His preparatory work and clarity of thought were guiding principles throughout what followed, and were key to a successful outcome.”

The revisions have made a substantial improvement to the documents and processes, and Best continues to make improvements to the guidance in response to feedback.

He added: “I also want to acknowledge the work of our volunteer assessors, EAF members and IChemE staff. This magnificent team contributed in multiple ways to the success of the project and their collaboration remains fundamental to IChemE’s entire accreditation function.'

The award was presented at the IChemE London offices by IChemE chief executive officer, Jon Prichard. Past winners include Edward Daniels in 2015, for his work, including the technical strategy Chemical Engineering Matters and David Shallcross for his contribution, including the Shallcross review of membership and membership processes.

IChemE’s head of educational affairs, Libby Steele said: “Rob's achievements have greatly enhanced the IChemE university accreditation process. He has ensured that all stakeholders have been listened to, and achieved stakeholder buy-in to the changes.

“We are in a much improved position following this review, and I’m grateful to Rob for his hard work and commitment, all on a completely voluntary basis.”