Eley appointed chair of NAB

Julie Eley has been appointed chair of the RMI’s National Association of Bodyshops (NAB) with effect from April 6, 2012.

A vote held during the first executive meeting of the newly formed NAB Executive Committee resulted in Eley being appointed as NAB Chair. She is currently the group operations manager for ADR Accident Repair Centres.

She said: “I am delighted to be elected as the new chairman of NAB, especially after such an effective and successful launch of the new brand last year.

“The formation of the NAB executive following the recent change to the RMI structure comes at a critical point for the accident repair industry.

“The industry needs credible representation from a body that is driven by its members and not by commercial gain. As the leading not for profit trade association in the body repair sector, the NAB is best placed to offer the sector what it needs.

“The key issues for today’s repairers surround PAS125, training and accreditation, welding competence and emerging technologies, all of which add cost to the repairers. The NAB has solutions in place that can offer support in these areas and help reduce such costs.”

Eley will take over from Tony Lowe who was the previous chairman of the association. He will continue to represent the NAB on the RMI Board.

Graham Threlfall, head of NAB, said: “The NAB now operates with full autonomy under the revised RMIF structure. This is a change driven and voted for by members.

“Our Executive Committee is made up of repairers who represent a variety of bodyshop profiles. With Julie as Chair, combined with our recent appointment of Peter Roberts as Strategic Advisor we can assure repairers that NAB is best placed to represent them, now and in the future.

“I am extremely pleased for Julie on her new appointment, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the position and I know she will continue to drive NAB forward. I wish her all the very best in the role.”