IIW History 1990-2015

It was noted that during the last four Annual Assemblies, the members of the Governing Council had expressed to the Executive Council their views on combining the two secretariats. At the Beijing, Peoples Republic of China (China) Annual Assembly in 1994, a vote had been taken on the specific resolution by the Governing Council but it did not receive the required level of support since it did not quite achieve the two-thirds majority required. Nonetheless, a large number of Member Society delegations did support the proposal. In light of this the members of the Executive Council at that time were of the opinion that this matter warranted further consideration, bearing in mind that the average annual cost of running the combined secretariats was in the order 518 000 Swiss francs (CHF). 29 Timerman had advised, in addition, that the establishment of the new single secretariat would require a change to the constitution if the proposal was approved by the members at this Annual Assembly. After due and careful consideration and the analysis of the bids from TWI and the Institut de Soudure, Timerman informed the Governing Council in June 1995 that the Executive Council’s recommendation was for the Institut de Soudure to be awarded the merged secretariat role, at an annual fee of CHF 431 795 and with Mr Michel Bramat as Executive Director. This resolution was then put to the Governing Council for approval by secret ballot, counted by Timerman, with 24 Member Societies voting in favour, six against and three abstentions. Having achieved a majority of more than two-thirds of the vote the proposal was approved. It was an historic day for IIW in more ways than one – another important proposal included approval of a resolution for the establishment of Commission VII Authorisation and Qualification (C-VII) with all its implications with regard to the establishment of an IIW International Personnel Qualification and Certification Scheme. 30 This, in itself, was an

endorsement of the sterling work done by Working Group 13 of IIW’s Commission XIV Education and Training (C-XIV) over the previous three years led by Mr Chris Smallbone (South Africa). Both Bramat and Hicks paid compliments to one another after the decision had been announced. Hicks made a considered address to the Governing Council at its second meeting on 17 June 1995. It was a speech that impressed everyone who was there as a sign of acceptance of change

LINKING PEOPLE, JOINING NATIONS and of the immense challenges ahead. At first Hicks had some misgivings. ‘My feelings this time are of some frustration that having begun to grasp fully the complexities of IIW and the widely

John Hicks