The judges are waiting, so send in your entry for the access awards

The judging panel is finalised and you still have until the end of January to prepare your entries for the first IAPA (International Awards for Powered Access). There are lots of categories and the application process is very simple - just fill in the form you will find at www.khl.com/iapa and tell us why you should win an award. The awards are open to all companies, not just IPAF members.

In the current climate it is more important than ever that we recognise the things this industry does well and through the awards we can do that. The awards will be presented following the dinner at the IPAF Summit - this year held on 2 April in Dublin - and it promises to be an entertaining evening.

The five-person IAPA Judging Panel has been chosen to include individuals with particular areas of expertise on aerial platforms, rental, training and safety. All five are experienced professionals in their fields, and all have extensive knowledge of the access industry. The panel also includes one person each from the award organisers, IPAF and Access International (KHL Group).

The judges are:

John Ball, IPAF President and Managing Director of Height for Hire

One of the best known access rental executives in the world and current president of IPAF, John Ball has enormous experience of the access equipment business. Height for Hire, which is one of Europe's largest access rental specialists, has operations in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe.

Lars-Petter Godenhielm, Executive Chairman, Dinolift, and an ex-IPAF President

Mr Godenhielm is founder of Dinolift, one of world's leading manufacturers of trailer mounted aerial platforms. He brings experience from a career in manufacturing and access equipment spanning over 30 years, and also brings an international perspective resulting from many years of involvement with IPAF, including two years as its president.

Dan Kaplan, Daniel Kaplan Associates

The doyen of rental management consultants, Mr Kaplan is a former rental executive - he was president of Hertz Equipment Rental Co (HERC) - who now consults with the world's major equipment manufacturers, rental companies and financial institutions. He has unrivalled knowledge of rental management techniques and brings a truly international perspective, with clients all over the world.

Tony Mort, Managing Director of AJ Access Platforms

Mr Mort founded AJ Access Platforms in 1990 and has since built the company into one of the world's foremost specialist in used access equipment. In addition to selling used equipment all over the world, AJ Access also has an access rental business and is an IPAF certified training centre. This wide range of experience will make Mr Mort a valuable and well-informed addition to the judging panel.

Murray Pollok, Managing Editor, Access International

Mr Pollok brings over 15 years experience reporting on the global construction and access markets. He has written for Access International since it was founded, and was its long-standing Editor before becoming Managing Editor in 2008. He is currently Editor of International Rental News (IRN) magazine. Mr Pollok represents KHL Group on the judging panel.

Non-Voting Chairman

In addition to the five-person panel above, Tim Whiteman, Managing Director of IPAF (the International Powered Access Federation), will serve as the non-voting chairman during the meeting of the judges.

For more information about the categories and booking your place at the event go to www.khl.com/iapa or www.ipaf.org/iapa.

If you have any queries or would like an extension to the entry deadline contact Murray Pollok, managing editor of Access International, murray.pollok@khl.com.