The baton was passed to Harte at the BCF Annual Conference last month, which saw over 150 senior business leaders and decision-makers from the UK’s paints, coatings, and printing ink sectors gather in Derby. The conference also marked the close of Guy Williams’ two-year tenure as president.
Williams said it had been an honour to serve the industry and that BCF had “developed considerably over the last 10 years”.
“Looking back, I take immense pride in the achievements of BCF in recent years. Starting with the new HQ in Coventry, we’ve seen the Federation strengthen significantly and has twice been named Trade Association of the Year.
“Financially we are on a very sound footing now and corporate governance is exemplary, ratified with the Trade Association’s Good Governance Award in February this year, with high engagement at board level and a clear strategy for the years ahead.”
Harte said that she was looking forward to serving the for the next two years and supporting the BCF team.
“I would like to personally thank Guy for his fantastic leadership throughout his presidency which must be one of the most turbulent periods in the industry’s history. Looking forward, the BCF, like many others, will face significant challenges ahead.
“However, the BCF is continuing to punch above its weight on key issues such as UK REACH, Net Zero, and changes to packaging and building regulations.”
Tom Bowtell, CEO of BCF, added that while there was more to do in terms of addressing diversity issues in the industry, Harte’s appointment “marks another step in the right direction”.
“We have more female BCF board members than ever before too and we have, collectively, pledged to do more to prioritise further progress in terms of diversity and inclusion across the sector as a whole.”
Separately, at the conference the BCF called for a “reset” in the development of a system for UK REACH that supports UK businesses, amid growing concern that a workable solution remains a long way off.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK REACH is a regulation that applies to the majority of chemical substances that are manufactured in or imported into Great Britain.
This can be a substance on its own; a substance in a mixture, for example ink or paint; or a substance that makes up an 'article' – an object that is produced with a special shape, surface, or design, for example a car, furniture, or clothes.
Speaking at the conference, Bowtell said: “After years of back and forth, it is becoming increasingly clear that the government’s plan for establishing a UK REACH regime is not going to be successful as industry requires.
“We welcome the current pause applied to the REACH registration deadlines but work on an alternative registration model also seems not to be addressing many of the concerns that led to that pause in the first place.
“The government knows that a sub-optimal application of UK REACH could cost UK industry billions of pounds but we are not currently seeing the application and creativity required to find a solution that works. The ongoing uncertainty is bad for business planning and investment and yet we are no nearer a position of clarity.
“There is time to get the right solution for the UK coatings industry, but to achieve that outcome we believe there needs to be a fundamental shift in approach and a reset of the process.
“We are committed to upholding high standards of environmental and human health and safety while also aiming for a manageable and efficient regulatory set up that supports – rather than suppresses – business.
“If genuine progress is not realised quickly, there is the risk of irreparable damage not just to the UK chemicals sector but to downstream users and formulators of chemicals, like those in the coatings sector, who have to use thousands of different substances in their products, as well as to UK manufacturing more widely.
“BCF looks forward to continuing to engage with Defra towards initiating that reset and finding a workable solution to the UK REACH problem.”
