Mick Jary CFSP, specification manager with Meiko UK Ltd, has been voted onto the FCSI Europe, Africa, Middle East (EAME) Division board as Allied representative. The term of office, which covers two years, was created to secure representation for the interests of Allied members, notably foodservice equipment manufacturers, of FCSI in the EAME region.
Jary, a highly experienced industry veteran, will engage and liaise with the EAME Board of Trustees on behalf of Allied Members, attending two FCSI EAME face-to-face meetings and two FCSI Worldwide board meetings each year, as well as participating at tradeshows, such as Gulfood and Host Milan.
“It is a huge honour to be voted on to the EAME and FCSI Worldwide Boards by fellow manufacturers and Allied Members as their representative and voice to the FCSI,” says Jary. “I will do my utmost to reflect their trust and to ensure that the Allied Member relationship within the Society is enhanced in the coming years.
“My election statement for this role, circulated to FCSI Professional and Allied Members, revolved around education, joint marketing exercises and the ease of information transfer in a constantly changing world. This will be central to my involvement as it will help promote the ethics of FCSI, raise the profile of the FCSI community and can only further business opportunities for all.”
A stronger community
For Jary, an emphasis on education, shared marketing and easier information access for all will only make FCSI “a stronger community,” he says. “Everybody’s client base needs the security that there is a solid supply chain behind them that will work as one with the latest relevant technology available. We all have the available information and all manufacturers are working with the latest technology but how can this be made available to consultant-led projects in a relevant format with all the tools required?” he says.
It is, says Jary, the Allied Member that “bring the consultant’s visions to life,” he says. “A lot of the Allied membership also work internationally, so it’s a matter of providing these teams with the platform they require to help the consultants deliver their visions. Allied representatives can also assist with aiding any initiatives required with future R&D that will help with future projects. The dialogue between us all is vital.”
According to Jary, it is fundamentally healthy for FCSI to keep refreshing its boards interntaionally in order to ensure a variety of opinions. “FCSI needs fresh ideas and different approaches to remain relevant within a massive global industry. Without this, any organisation or business will struggle to exist very quickly,” he says. “We also have so many different facets to our industry that we need voices from as many different areas as possible to understand the continuous demands put on our client bases.”
For Roberto Assi FCSI, vice president of the FCSI EAME Division and a member of the FCSI EAME Board of Trustees, it is important for the Society to include Allied representatives on its divisional boards because it “creates a liaison between the manufacturers and the board, bringing together the voices of the industry and supporting FCSI board initiatives.”
Allied representatives, says Assi, should be active, highlighting previous highly successful contribution from representatives towards BIM standards in recent years, as well as being able to “use their contacts from the industry” to support exhibitions or other FCSI events, all the while “respecting the spirit of independence of FCSI Professional Members.”
FCSI, says Assi, “needs fresh ideas and who better than the leading manufacturers to contribute to this? By refreshing the Allied Representative every every years we have the certainty of getting fresh opinions. They can bring creative input and contribute considerably.”
Energy and enthusiasm
Jary joined Meiko UK in 2017 specifically to increase Meiko’s support for foodservice consultants. Meiko UK managing director Paul Anderson has given his full support to Jary’s role. “Clearly Mick’s involvement with FCSI members in the UK has been met with keen interest. His energy and enthusiasm are notable, as is his strong desire to promote educational forums, field visits and technical presentations to share the specialist knowledge that we manufacturers have acquired over decades.
“The FCSI in many ways sets the standard for our industry when it comes to foodservice design. As we face an uncertain outlook environmentally, I am sure the successful catering projects of the future will benefit from sharing our specialist knowledge and that can only help our planet by reducing consumption of water, energy and chemicals and by getting a genuine return from food waste in terms of cutting Co2 whilst offering the possibilities of enhanced energy returns.’’’
Michael Jones
