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Chairman's Report Prepared for CIArb South East Branch October 2009 I would like to introduce myself as your new branch Chairman and also take this opportunity to thank Helena Riches, the previous Chairman and the Committee for their support and help during the transition period. My name is Colin Featherstone and my primary profession is Chartered Quantity Surveyor. I have worked in the building and civil engineering industries since 1980 when I started work with a contractor and was sponsored through my undergraduate studies at Trent. I am a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS); the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB) and the Charter Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and I am also a Member of the Academy of Experts (MAE). I have run a small Quantity Surveying and Dispute Resolution practice since 1996. The primary work in the past 13 years has been the preparation and rebuttal of claims, expert witness work and I also act as expert determiner, expert assessor, adjudicator and party representative, while still providing contractual advice and quantity surveying support. I am very keen to promote our Branch and the services of the Institute, both as an academic body, training centre and as a centre of world class excellence in ADR. The Institute has undergone many changes recently and it continues to evolve, but it cannot exist without the support of its members, or indeed a concerted effort by the Institute and IDRS to secure a larger market share of the dispute resolution which abounds. As a branch, the South East Branch boasts over 800 members. It is therefore one of the largest branches. It is your Branch. The CIArb is your Institute. If you have any thoughts about how the Institute can better serve its members then here is your opportunity to voice your concerns and become proactive in improving the Institute and branch from within. I would be only too happy to receive your views and I would encourage you all to attend the branch meetings. In respect of the Branch Meetings, my aim as Chairman is to continue to provide talks which are of interest to all the members and to also cover topics in all fields of dispute resolution. I am mindful to introducing speakers of a calibre that are able to provide insight and interest to all our members regardless of primary discipline and experience. Disappointingly, the turn out at Branch meetings in recent years has been generally low, sometimes embarrassingly so. The Chairmen of the Branch have always been conscious of trying to serve the wider and more diverse interests of its members while still appealing to a wider audience. This will continue, but it is essential that the Committee receives suitable feedback on what you as the members would like to see and your suggestions on where the Institute should be heading. The noticeable exception to poor attendances has been the overwhelming success of the joint meetings with the Chartered Institute of Building, which have now become an annual feature. So far we have organised 2 very successful joint meetings attracting in excess of 60 attendees on each occasion. The third joint event will be in January 2010, so please check the website www.arbitrate.org.uk and email flyers which are sent out regularly for an update. It is customary in recent years to invite the current President of the Institute along for the first meeting in September and this year will be no exception and we have pleasure in welcoming JOHN D CAMPBELL QC FCIArb to give a talk on the future of the Institute. This is an ideal opportunity to come along and meet the president in a social and relaxed environment. We will also have an update by RICHARD ROGERS from the CIARB MARKETING DEPARTMENT, although it is with regret that IDRS will not be represented at the meeting, but I have no doubt that Richard will be able to fill in and explain the current trends and activities. On 10th November IAN WILLIAMSON will give a talk on his experiences at T5 or within the Olympic Delivery Group. For the joint CIOB meeting we will provide an adjudication related topic along with an update on any current developments with the Construction Bill and its potential effect on the adjudication process. In May 2010 we hope to welcome MR JUSTICE COULSON to provide a view from the bench. At the time of writing I am still in the final throws of putting together the remaining topics, venues and speakers. In March it is the AGM and I would like to invite the existing Committee Members to present themselves for renomination or offer to stand down as the case may be and I would also like to invite any members interested in joining the committee to contact me. It is also intended to run an adjudication / mediation workshop and a refresher for those who are still proceeding through the old pupillage / interview panel route to Chartered Arbitrator status. I will also be liasing with the Committee about the annual Diner and details will be announced shortly, so please watch out on the web, N&V and email flyers. Finally, I would like to thank members of the committee for their support and input. Firstly, Helena Riches, who chaired the SE branch over the past few years and who has been very supportive during my succession to the Chair, which unfortunately coincided with uprooting my family and business from Sussex to Devon, with all its inherent technological problems. Also a very big thankyou to Samantha Simkins, who works with Helena for keeping the email circulars alive and assisting with the general administration, despite having no formal affiliation with the branch. I would also like to thank Kevin Trash who continues as the Branch Secretary and Jon Hills for his ongoing role as Treasurer. Murray Armes has done a tremendous job of keeping News and Views alive and I look forward to welcoming his successor Don Jessop later this year, when Murray retires as editor. I would also like to extend a very big thankyou to Anne Kenny for organising this year's summer outing to the Brighton Pavilion and to Philip Fidler for his constant solid support in all matters. Not forgetting Peter Cousins for organising the joint ICE meetings year on year and David Simmonds for all his hard work in providing the Branch website. Finally, to the remaining committee members for your effort, time and dedication, thank you. Colin Featherstone BSc (Hons) Dip Arb FRICS FCIOB
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