Member News

One year into his role as President of the British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) and Richard Gearing, Head of Regional Operations at BOC UK & Ireland, had much to celebrate as he welcomed BCGA members to its 2015 annual conference in Manchester.

Wishing a warm welcome to conference delegates, Richard reported on activities the BCGA has been focussing on since he took up the position last April to promote a more positive understanding of the compressed gases industry as a whole and the benefits that BCGA members bring to the UK.

“The BCGA contributes to the generation of the safety and technical standards that underpin our industry which is critical to the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people in the UK every day. For instance, BCGA members currently employ a combined 19,000 people directly and account for an annual turnover of £2.7bn.”  Nevertheless, Richard said, “Too often we can be dealing with negative issues within our industry. I am keen to see a more balanced perspective and this has been one of my key priorities during the past year and will continue into the second year of my two-year appointment as President of the BCGA.

“This appointment is a real honour”, continued Richard. “The BCGA is a valuable body that represents the majority of companies in our industry and it’s right that BOC plays a key role in ensuring its success.

Richard has been leading a number of new initiatives to deliver positive messages to industry and wider society about the benefits of the gases, products and services that BCGA members provide. These include developing a range of marketing collateral such as information datasheets and a brochure.

Doug Thornton, CEO of BCGA, said: “I was very pleased when Richard accepted this leading role in the BCGA and I’m even more delighted at the key part he has played over the past year in helping raise the positive profile of the BCGA and the work we do.”

Richard joined BOC, the UK’s biggest industrial and medical gases business and a member of The Linde Group, as a graduate engineer in 1986. He held a number of roles in the company before moving to his current role in 2007.

BCGA annual conference brings professionals together from the compressed gases industry, to be updated on the latest developments, current issues and association news. Attending the conference offers delegates, the annual opportunity to network with like-minded people. This year’s BCGA annual conference was held on Thursday 23 April 2015 at the Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Worsley Park in Manchester. For more information about this year’s conference or the 2016 conference, which will be held on 21 April at Oulton Hall Hotel, Leeds, visit: www.bcga.co.uk

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