Many congratulations to alumnus Ben Uphill (MBA, 2021) on recently being named as President of the Institute of Quarrying (IQ). He has built a 32-year career in the mineral products and extractives sector and will be taking on this role on alongside continuing his work as a Managing Director UK at Sibelco Group.
We caught up with him ahead of his official inauguration on Friday 6 November when begins his two-year term as president to find out more about what this role will entail.
This is not Ben’s first involvement with IQ as during the past eight years he has held positions within the institution such as board trustee, deputy chair and chairman. As Ben steps in this role as president the role’s key responsibilities will focus on guiding and supporting the IQ’s board and the wider organisation as well as stakeholder engagement. He will also be a member of the international presidents community which represent Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and South Africa. During his tenure Ben plans to visit branches abroad – including some of these countries – to better understand their distinct identities and struggles. Speaking about how it felt to take up this role Ben noted that “Being able to help shape the Institute’s future alongside highly experience people with a clear vision for where IQ needs to go is a huge honour.”
Reflecting on his MBA Ben shared that the skills cultivated through his studies at Exeter have had real impact during his career and will continue to do so in this new position of leadership at IQ noting that ” understanding and delivering effective leadership is critical for any business.” Other aspects of his course that stood out for him were, “the finance and economics elements which were key resources, and the fourth Industrial Revolution module which gave many insights to aids and disruptors, internet of things (IOT), artificial intelligence (AI) etc. that proved vital to consider. “
The mineral extraction industry can seem shrouded in mystery from the outside, and we asked Ben after working in it for several decades what was something he’d like to share with those in the alumni community who don’t know much about his sector? He shared, “Ultimately if it’s not grown its extracted. Minerals – of which there are many – go into so many products to advance life. Although mining and quarrying have experienced a bad reputation at times, the minerals, economics and restoration schemes that take place can provide improvements to many populations and habitats. Circularity is becoming an ever-increasing part of the industry, with some products having endless lives, however virgin materials – that mineral extraction provides – will always be needed in some form.”
Finally, we asked, what impact is Ben looking to make during his tenure as president and he shared there are five priorities he’s aiming to focus on:
- The National Stone Centre: developing the new HQ site in Derbyshire with partners in industry, education, heritage and the local community.
- Membership and member value: ensuring quality education, CPD, technical knowledge, career support and professional community for members.
- Education and professional development: providing quarrying and mineral products learning, relevant pathways, lifelong learning, and collaborating with employers and educators.
- Our branch network: supporting the 13 branches throughout the UK in remaining vibrant, connected and responsive.
- Strengthening our global community: working with the international teams, hosting the 2027 international presidents meeting in the UK, and continuing developing relations in the United Arab Emirates.
In such a fast-paced world our values are a grounding and guiding force and for Ben these are: resilience, life-long learning, commitment, people and diversity. We can’t wait to see how these, and he, shapes this role and the impact of the IQ during the next few years. Many congratulations from Exeter on this appointment!
To find out more about Ben’s career connect with him on LinkedIn. Also if you’ve received an appointment, award, prize, or title recently do tag us on our social media channels, or let us know via alumni@exeter.ac.uk, as we always like to celebrate the successes and achievements of our alumni community.