British Ceramic Confederation appoints new Technical Policy Officer

Trade association the British Ceramic Confederation (BCC) has welcomed a new member to the team who brings with him a wealth of experience within the sector.Tim Chadwick, who has worked in ceramics for more than 30 years, says he could not pass up on the opportunity to join the Confederation and is looking forward to supporting the industry.The BCC represents the collective interests of all sectors of the UK ceramics manufacturing industry. Its sector experts provide wide-ranging professional advice to members, covering topics including health and safety, energy, emissions, planning, waste management, international trade, employment law and education and training.Tim has been appointed as the new Technical Policy Officer, with areas of responsibility including gas-related work, energy and emissions and potential hydrogen research. He will work closely with BCC’s Technical Director Dr Andrew McDermott and Industrial & Environmental Policy Manager Lee Brownsword.He said: “It is great to be involved in an organisation that can have an influence and is tackling major issues that are relevant, energy is a big issue for our members, for instance. I want to ensure that ceramics is a strong industry long into the future.”Tim, who was born in the Stoke-on-Trent area, started his career as a lab assistant, testing ceramic materials, before becoming a glaze manager, working for BCC member Johnson Tiles.He then relocated to Devon, joining another BCC member, Original Style, working as their technical manager, before moving to British Ceramic Tile as a lab manager. It was here that Tim first met Andrew McDermott, who had joined the company as a technical manager – a role that Tim took over when Andrew moved on to pastures new.The technical position meant Tim became heavily involved in environment work, energy and emissions, and the ESOS scheme. He also wrote and implemented an energy management system to achieve ISO 50001 Certification, working with the compliance arm of Lucideon.After a few years working for a company producing clay modelling materials, Tim headed back up north to Stoke for family reasons.He said: “We only moved back in August, but when I then heard there was an opportunity to join the BCC team it was very appealing. I have a lot of ceramics experience having been responsible for the EU ETS, now UK ETS, the climate change agreement and compliance. I also have experience of energy and emissions relating to ceramic manufacturing and have done a Ceramic Technology Degree, so I understand the different ceramic processes.“I feel like I have done a 30-year apprenticeship where the experience I have gained fits this role. I have a passion for the UK ceramics industry, probably more so after leaving the area as the heritage shone through. I now have an opportunity to try to help the industry and convince officials that UK ceramics has an important role to play in the country and deserves to be looked after.”BCC Chief Executive Rob Flello said: “We are delighted to welcome Tim to the team. He brings with him an extremely strong skillset that complements the technical team perfectly. His experience will prove invaluable in supporting the UK ceramic sector.”