Dave Ward has announced his candidacy to be elected as Machine and Components Representative in the forthcoming AVA Board Elections – so he won’t be riding off into the sunset just yet…
It’s nearly ten years since he returned from Germany to his native West Midlands to take up the role of Managing Director, N&W UK. An engineer by profession, Dave began his career in vending as an employee of Mars, where he was a contemporary of new AVA Chair Gillian White. He has recently relinquished the top job at Evoca UK and taken up a consultancy role in the business. By seeking this role in the AVA, Dave hopes to ensure that his experience and expertise remain part of the industry’s wealth of resource in the years to come.
Having accepted the role of Chair of the AVA for two years and ultimately, at the organisation’s request, serving for four; nobody knows the machinations of the vending industry better than Dave and few people are as well-placed as he is to ensure that the AVA reflects the requirements of its members and effectively represents their interests.
Not simply ‘a safe pair of hands’, Dave’s belief is that the pace of change in the vending and coffee industries is accelerating.
‘We’re duty bound to ensure that members feel that they are getting a worthwhile return on their membership investment’
‘It’s my view that the industry’s need for a purposeful governing body has never been so acute’, he said. ‘The AVA is currently in a state of change, both in terms of management and the way that its activities are funded. We’re duty bound to ensure that members feel that they are getting a worthwhile return on their membership investment and if elected in the AVA Board elections, that will be my primary focus.’
AVA Board Elections
If you want to vote for Dave in the AVA Board elections, you’ll need to get your skates on: voting closes at midday next Monday, 18 June. Full members alone are entitled to vote; the voting form can be downloaded HERE.
For the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar with the UK vending landscape, The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) is the trade body of the vending industry in this country. Every year, UK consumers spend around £1.5 billion in more than 420,000 refreshment vending machines. Every day, 8 million cups of coffee and 2 million cups of tea are vended. Headed up By Chief Executive David Llewellyn, the AVA is based in Leeds and holds regional members’ meetings all over the country.
