Dr Paul Stollard appointed chair and Trustee director at IFE

Having dedicated his career to advocating fire safety standards and procedures, Stollard has been instrumental in overhauling the Scottish Building Standards and served as the agency’s initial CEO.

In 2006, Stollard received The Peter Stone Award in recognition of his dedication to the building sector.

Given that Stollard’s responsibilities will extend globally, he eagerly anticipates leveraging his skill set to effect international change for the IFE’s members.

Stollard’s career in the fire safety space began over 40 years ago when he first completed the IFE’s membership examination while conducting research at Edinburgh University. Originally training as an architect, he later specialised in fire safety engineering, acquiring several qualifications including a PhD focused on ‘the integration of fire safety into the process of architectural design’.

Collaboration with members

Commenting on his appointment, Stollard informed Fire Safety Matters: “I’m really thrilled to be joining the IFE and I’m eager to collaborate with members and industry stakeholders alike across the globe to drive positive change within the fire safety space.”

Outside of the office, Stollard has actively engaged with various aspects of fire safety and community service. He spent four years as a regional director with the Health and Safety Executive and chaired the expert review panel into Scotland’s building fire safety standards following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Stollard currently serves on the Board of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and is providing fire engineering consultancy related to Grenfell Tower.

Steve Hamm, CEO of the IFE, noted: “As we welcome Paul, his extensive expertise, together with his passion for the profession and its communities, make him an excellent addition to both the IFE and the wider fire sector. This is a huge year for the Institution and Paul will play a key role in bringing many underlying projects to fruition.”

Stollard officially commences his three-year tenure on 1 April.

Professional recognition

The IFE, of course, is a global professional membership body for those practitioners in the fire sector who seek to increase their knowledge, professional recognition and understanding of fire through global discourse. In existence for over 100 years now, the IFE is instrumental in shaping a future world that’s safer from fire.

Through its ceaseless betterment and sharing of knowledge, the IFE has led the way in enabling fire professionals to become rigorously assessed through a well-established and dynamic system of internationally recognised membership grades and fire-related qualifications. In fact, the IFE delivers more than 6,000 examinations on an annual basis.

Managed for fire sector professionals by fire sector professionals, the IFE aims to promote, encourage and improve the science, practice and professionalism of fire engineering, acting as a beacon of established expertise and guiding the way to a fire-safe future.

*Further information is available online at www.ife.org.uk