New SPOA President
29 August 2023
John Sibbald has become the new President of the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA). He succeeds Callum Mackintosh and will be supported by David Jarvie as Vice President.
John, who as Director of Sibbald Training has been involved in the construction industry for all his life as part of the family business started by his father 50 years ago, said: “It is very exciting to have the opportunity to be the President of the SPOA which is steeped in over 70 years of history. It is an honour to be part of an organisation whose past presidents and committee members have steered the Association to where it is today. I feel this is my opportunity to give back to the industry which has allowed our family to succeed.”
He said he has been buoyed by the progress made over the last couple of years to introduce more of a structure and strategy for the SPOA to allow it to become stronger and more sustainable in the future. It now has a permanent base in Stirling and a full-time administrator, Vicky Park.
“Every day we see new challenges in our industry. In my opinion, the age-old concern of the shortage of new entrants into the industry continues to be one of these key challenges and one that we will continue to try and tackle with the support of the CITB.
“Pressure on industry to reduce our carbon footprint is one that is easy to put off and worry about tomorrow, but we need to tackle it here and now. Related to this is the increase in machinery costs and new technology which can be part of the solution to tackle our carbon footprint, but which require investment and plant mechanic upskilling.”
The SPOA has reintroduced subsidised member training courses for the first time in six years, including topics such as hire controller training and overcoming rental challenges (as mentioned previously on the blog).
John commended outgoing President Callum Mackintosh for his successful tenure. “I believe that in years to come when looking back at Callum’s time in the chair, it will be seen as an instrumental period for the Association with the changes and modernisation he oversaw,” he added.
● Don't forget to explore the Site-Eco area of the blog for news of sustainable products and developments relevant to the world of hire.
