39 THE door industry journal summer 2023 Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Industry News Kaz for President GEZE UK MD Kaz Spiewakowski looks to focus on education and further developing relationships with RIBA and overseas members as well as ensure value for members as he takes over the two-year presidency of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI). Kaz has already held the vice president role for the last two years working closely with outgoing president Mario Del-Signore. The focus on education will look at improving the process for developing new material and how it is delivered. The GAI will explore getting the content validated and third party audited as well as looking at producing new content. Said Kaz “I am delighted to be taking over the presidency of the Guild. CPD and compliance is vital for our members - becoming trained and demonstrating competence. The work done over the past few years has increased the focus on professionalism, particularly the REG AI status and the aim is to continue that.” Simon Forrester, Chief Executive of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers added “We are delighted that Kaz has taken over the role of GAI President. We have a long association with GEZE with many of their team holding GAI qualifications or sitting on Guild committees. We wish Kaz a successful presidency.” Architectural Ironmongers provide specialist scheduling service and technical support for architects and contractors, specifying and installing products that are fit for purpose whilst ensuring compliance to the many standards. To find out more about GEZE and its comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers and window technology products email info.uk@geze.com or visit www.geze.co.uk . IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect Donate Over £5,000 to Local Mental Health Charity Leading specialist trade suppliers IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect have raised £5,483 in aid of Basildon Mind. Employees at the Essex-based companies took part in a number of fundraising activities across the year in support of this very worthy cause. Basildon Mind is a local, independent mental health charity, affiliated with but not funded by the national charity, Mind. The organisation relies on donations to run its services and support people in Basildon, Billericay, and Wickford experiencing mental health difficulties. The WOW Team at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect recognised the vital role undertaken by the charity to help people in need and selected Basildon Mind as part of its mission to help local causes. “The WOW Team is a group of employees who represent each department and work together to organise company events and charity events, and are the voice for all employees across the business,” explained Steve Macpherson, Head of WOW for IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect. “Giving back to the community is integral to who we are as a business, and we are very proud to be supporting Basildon Mind this year. The charity was chosen as our partner due to the fantastic work they do in providing advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem in our local community.” By hosting various fundraising activities, the company raised a combined total of £5,483 for the charity. Their efforts to raise money for Basildon Mind included an employee Christmas raffle, with prizes donated by the companies’ suppliers, and a silent auction, the proceeds of which contributed significantly to the final total. Denise Kent at Basildon Mind commented: “We want to thank all the staff at IronmongeryDirect and ElectricalDirect for supporting us and raising this fantastic sum of money to help our cause. Their efforts will enable us to keep vital services such as our Side By Side initiative running and provide people in need with support and information about help in their area. Side By Side is an online peer support community that means no one has to face their mental health struggles alone – an invaluable resource for many people, which is made possible by generous donations like this.” IronmongeryDirect has been supplying architectural ironmongery for over 50 years and has the UK’s largest range with over 18,000 products in stock. ElectricalDirect has over 12,000 electrical products available, with both companies offering a wide choice of flexible delivery options for anyone looking to renovate or embark on a new project. Customers can choose from next-day delivery or same-day delivery to postcodes in selected areas of London and the East of England, as well as click and collect from 6,500 pick-up points across the UK. For more information, or to view the ranges online, please visit: www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk and www.ElectricalDirect.co.uk . To learn more about Basildon Mind, please visit: www.basmind.org/. (From left to right): Stuart York, Denise Kent (Basildon Mind), Steve Macpherson, Marc Sherwin & Kate Benson (IronmongeryDirect & ElectricalDirect)
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