News

By Steve Spender

During the IHE Presidential event in June, I had the honour and privilege to award IHE Honorary Fellowships to two members who had been invited without knowing what the evening held in store for them.

The first of the fellowships went to Richard Hayes CEng HonFIHE.

Richard’s career in the highways sector began in 1978 with Stockton on Tees Borough Council before he went to Northumberland County Council, where he stayed for most of his career in local government.

Richard joined the IHE in 2003 and was quickly recognised for his work supporting the Institute and became Junior Vice President in 2010. He went on to become President in 2012-1014.

In 2015, Richard was appointed chief executive officer of the Institute, serving for a period of five years until 2020. During this time he became one of the first IHE members to acquire his Chartership through the newly developed ‘experiential’ route in 2016.

Richard has continued to work extremely hard for the Institute since stepping down as CEO and is recognised for his work in providing training and mentoring for new as well as existing members. He has shown a real dedication to the IHE and is truly a worthy recipient of his Fellowship.

The second Fellowship went to Paul Boss CEng HonFIHE, the outgoing CEO of the Road Surface Treatment Association (RSTA). Paul began his career in local government, coincidentally at the same time as I did, and in awarding his Fellowship, I highlighted how Paul’s career developed at the same time as mine and very much followed the same route.

After starting at Staffordshire Borough Council, he soon joined the County Council and quickly progressed up through the various grades to become the County Council’s highways asset manager before moving to Amey, where he stayed until June 2020.

It was at this stage that he took over as the CEO of the RSTA, where he steered the organisation to a period of growth and increased the recognition that the organisation experiences today. Paul joined the IHE in 2018 as an Incorporated Engineer before going on to pass his Chartership in 2019.

Through his position at the RSTA, he has helped foster a strong relationship with the IHE and has assisted in guiding our two organisations to sign up for the IHE’s Professional Development Partnership (PDP).

Paul has announced his retirement from the RSTA in the last few months and is looking forward to completing a number of things from his bucket list. He is extremely wellknown across the sector and will be missed by all who have worked with him.

Our membership will no doubt join me in congratulating these two latest Honorary Fellows for the hard work and dedication that they have shown the IHE and the highways sector during their careers.

Steve Spender (left) and Richard Hayes

Steve Spender (left) and Paul Boss