Trade Association Awards - Reflections

Sherrington Associates sponsor ‘ESG Initiative’ & ‘Good Governance’ categories at the 2023 Trade Association Forum Awards

On 23rd March at The Brewery in London, the Trade Association Forum (TAF) hosted its prestigious TAF Awards, with over 320 attendees from 40 nominated trade associations across 18 awards categories. Now in its 20th year, the TAF Awards 2023 are supported by the Department of Business and Trade, and recognise excellence, innovation and best practice amongst Trade Associations in the UK. 

Through Sherrington's work recruiting and developing leaders with the requisite skills and values to deliver on ESG and embed strong governance, we were proud to sponsor and present the ‘Good Governance’ & ‘ESG Initiative’ award categories.

British Coatings Federation (BCF) picked up the award for Good Governance for their work to reduce their pension deficit, a major financial issue facing BCF over the past 10 years. Through the delivery of a clear strategy and prudent fiscal management by the BCF Board of Directors, combined with a solid membership engagement strategy, the BCF Pension Scheme Trustees were finally able to sell the pension scheme without any additional investment from the BCF’s reserves in 2022.

Emily Wallace, Chief Executive of the Trade Association Forum and Chair of the judging panel commented: “Through good governance and a clear strategy, the BCF have dealt with their pensions deficit and strengthened the financial position of the association in an impressive and impactful way. Amy impressed the judges with her professional approach and commitment to take on more responsibility and develop her skills and is definitely one to watch.”

The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) won the ‘ESG Initiative of the Year Award’, presented by Sherrington Associates, for their work on sustainability.

The BMA delivered a public-facing campaign ‘#GetLavvySavvy’ to educate consumers on the water that is lost from toilet leaks and their easy fixes. Collaboration with water companies has identified and removed the toilet valves most prone to leakage and driven members to develop new, entirely leak-proof valves. The BMA hold six biannual Sustainability Forums and recently launched their own sustainability awards. Their recent work with DEFRA on water labelling standards was highly commended.

BMA Chief Executive, Tom Reynolds, said: “Our hard work has paid off – the results of this important initiative have since been recognised, and we continue collaborating with policymaking initiatives to lead towards change from the frontlines.”

Emily Wallace, Chief Executive of the Trade Association Forum and Chair of the judging panel, said: “The judges loved the range of initiatives and industry leadership that the BMA has demonstrated, putting its commitment to sustainability at the heart of the association.”