Ashley Thacker

After nine years of highly valued service, Ashley Thacker has stepped down from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) board as regional director - Australia. Steven Flint, founder and CEO of The Rigging Shed in Western Australia, has been named as Thacker's successor on the board.

During his time on the board, Thacker oversaw remarkable progress by the association in Australasia. Now general manager of family business Ranger Lifting, he first encountered LEEA in his early 20s, when he took a course at the association's Huntingdon HQ. At the time, there was no provision for formal training and no LEEA members in Australia; Ranger Lifting became the first in 2011. Today, there are nearly a hundred throughout Australasia and Thacker must take much of the credit for this, although he claims: "My proudest moment was actually being accepted onto the LEEA board at such a young age (26) and being taken seriously when bringing things forward".

Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA, says: "During his time on the board, Ashley ... has been a consistent champion of lifting and particularly the use of new technologies and components - something that is a fast growing part of the sector's future - and his experience and industry knowledge has been immensely valued by LEEA.

"I would also like to welcome Steve ... who, being a 34-year industry veteran, will bring a new perspective to the role. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to Austin Joseph for his service over the seven years that he has been on the board and look forward to welcoming his replacement later in the year."

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is the leading representative body for all those involved in the lifting industry worldwide.