Celebrating 40 years of chartered chemist status

It was back in 1974 that we first awarded chartered chemist (CChem) status. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of defining, supporting and encouraging excellence in the chemical science community, we invited members who gained CChem status since January this year, to join us at a celebratory event at Burlington House on 27 October, as well as a selection of employers linked to CChem schemes.

They were joined by our chief executive Robert Parker and immediate-past president Lesley Yellowlees and company representatives.

Opening the ceremony, Robert Parker said: “Leading employers tell us that they see the CChem award as signifying excellence in the practice of the chemical sciences. When your employees have chartered status, it demonstrates that your organisation employs fully competent scientists, and inspires confidence that the company operates to the highest standards. It’s the pinnacle of distinction in a chemist’s professional life, and it’s not just us who think so.”

The event also included talks from Stephen Preece of EDF Energy, who shared why professional recognition is important to his employer, and from Mike Shaw of UCB, who recounted what he had gained from his journey to chartership. In addition, the attendees were able to find out more about how they can use the skills they gained throughout their career to support the next generation of chartered chemists in our mentoring training session.

The day ended with an award for the CChem portfolio of the year being presented to Mark Gray from the University of Sunderland. The judges were particularly impressed with the level and breadth of evidence Mark presented in his portfolio. He received his award from Robert Parker and Lesley Yellowlees during the celebrations at Burlington House.