Meeting with Mary Bradley Past president, founding trustee of the Institute

As we move into November, I’d like to share a brief update following a recent meeting with Mary Bradly, former President of the IDE and one of the Institute’s original trustees, appointed back in 1976.

I last caught up with Mary at the IDE’s 40th Anniversary Dinner, held at the Science Museum in London, so we certainly had plenty of memories and stories to revisit.
Mary holds a special place in my own IDE journey, as she was actually the person who interviewed me when I first applied to join the Institute back in 1995.

Having previously worked alongside Sidney Hunt and Claud Brown, I was fortunate to be invited to sit in on Trustee meetings, where I had the opportunity to listen, learn and work alongside some of the industry's most legendary contractors. Looking back, those early experiences provided an invaluable foundation for my future roles within the Institute.

Mary and I went on to work together on a number of important initiatives during my early years on the Council of Management. One particularly significant project was the major change to the membership assessment process, moving away from the traditional presentation paper route towards a formal examination process. I was fortunate to be involved in helping write and edit the very first examination question packs.
It was a real pleasure to reminisce with Mary and reflect on how much the Institute has evolved over the years, while recognising the contribution made by those who helped shape it from the very beginning.

I've promised Mary that we’ll meet up again soon, when I will have the honour of presenting her with an IDE 50th Anniversary Commemorative Plaque. A small token of appreciation, but one that I know she will display with great pride.
It’s important that we continue to recognise and celebrate the people who helped build the IDE and whose dedication has shaped the Institute we know today.