CEO of HAE EHA standing down

Graham Arundell is to stand down at the CEO of Hire Association Europe and Event Hire Association (HAE EHA), the UK’s trade association for the rental industry, at the end of April, 2020.

During his 13-year tenure, Arundell is credited with turning around the fortunes of the organisation, which had seen its membership numbers and funds dwindling.

Arundell achieved this by introducing a series of measures, including the creation of EHA as a separate entity in 2009, dedicated to rental companies and suppliers in the events sector.

He also introduced new member services, widening existing provisions to include more member benefits, from insurance, and health and safety to additional training services.

The association’s SafeHire and HITS (Hire Industry Trusted Supplier) schemes were also developed to become leading accreditations for the rental and construction sectors.

Altogether, these changes had the effect of reversing the financial fortunes of HAE, enabling it to purchase in 2019 the premises it and EHA had previously rented.

Arundell said, “I was advised at the outset that the role would be challenging, and that was part of the attraction. It’s certainly lived up to that, but I’ve had some great experiences and opportunities meeting lots of people along the way that will remain life-long friends.”

Brian Sherlock, HAE Chair, said, “Graham has not only made a valued and sustained contribution to the HAE, he has also had a significant influence within the hire sector.

“His drive and relentless enthusiasm coupled with strong leadership and networking skills has driven real change within the association.”

On his retirement, Arundell has agreed to carry on as a consultant with HAE EHA for up to 12 months to help ease the transition period under the new CEO.

He will also continue to support the organisations as they seek UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation for the newly formed Certification Services.

Graham said, “I’ve found the hire sector a really interesting and welcoming industry and will genuinely miss the people and the job.”

The search for a new CEO has begun.