Sarah Poulter has been appointed the new CEO of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) following a period of restructuring.
Poulter will assume the reins of the organisation after an interim period as joint Executive Director, a role she shared with Chris Murphy from October 2018 following the departure of CEO Dr Colin Church.
Poulter has worked for CIWM for 18 years, with 14 years as Managing Director of the Institution’s commercial and market development activities. In 2017, she took on a broader role across the organisation as Head of Membership and Funding, before taking on the role of joint Executive Director. Her previous background was in training and development in the construction sector.
CIWM has been restructuring in a bid to get its finances in order. In a letter to members in September 2018, former CIWM President Professor David Wilson stated that the body ran an operating deficit of £223,000 in 2017, with revenues hit by declining membership numbers – down from 5,446 at the end of 2016 to 5,240 at the end of 2017 – though Wilson said that CIWM had ‘started the reverse of the decline in membership numbers’.
A new business plan was drawn up in October 2018 and presented to CIWM trustees by external consultant Andrew Garcia, including cost reduction measures such as office sales and a ‘small number’ of job losses. CIWM was trading profitably through 2018 and is expected to break even by the end of 2019.
CIWM has also announced the restructuring of its membership offering with two new Membership Development Executives (MDEs), Kate Cole and Phil Tomlin. The new Executives will be responsible for different regions and will work to maintain and improve the quality of services for existing members, as well as encourage membership growth and engagement. CIWM’s online member newsletter stated: ‘They will be working closely with the Regional Centres and getting involved in the design and delivery of networking, training and development activities in these areas.
‘Kate’s focus will be London, Southern Counties and South West region and Phil’s remit will cover the North West, North East, Midlands and East Anglian Centres.’
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.