Automate UK has announced the appointment of Steve Jones as Chair, tasked with aiding the continued growth and evolution of the organisation.

Steve, who has been involved with Automate UK in a non-executive Board role focused on its marketing and communications strategy since 2021, will work closely with CEO Dan Thombs, outgoing Chair James Causebrook, Chief Operating Officer Scott McKenna and Policy Director Peter Williamson to drive the association forward.

He said his key focus would be the progressive development of Automate UK, ensuring relevance whilst continually evolving an automation community, adding that providing value to members is pivotal to the success of the association.

“My involvement with the organisation dates back to when it was the PPMA group of associations. We subsequently undertook a full refresh of the brand to make it more relevant and to encapsulate the complete agenda for the industry. That transition into Automate UK saw us create a big opportunity for our members, and our commitment now revolves around delivering value for them, giving them a bigger voice and lobbying to bring their key issues and concerns to the government’s attention.

“This is a progressive organisation and while we have widened our reach and gained more engagement, our ambition is to go beyond that. The key to doing that is reinvention, relevance and community - not necessarily in that order - and my role will be to extend that value, reconnect with members and create a sense of community,” he explained.

Steve, who is the Marketing Director at Ishida Europe Ltd, applied much of his professional experience to the brand refresh project, said that his immediate priority in driving the association forward is member engagement. 

“The work we have done over the past four years has opened the door to a wealth of opportunity and it is now up to us to make sure that our members walk through that door.

“I want to improve the direct engagement with members to make them fully aware of the exceptional range of benefits and opportunities they have access to and ensure they are making full use of the knowledge, resources and support available thereby building a sense of community across the sphere of automation, vision and robotics.

“There are many other aspects within the field that we can encompass and the best way to identify and action those is through the ancient art of communicating and speaking to people. Our annual Chairman’s lunch and Christmas and Summer events are a crucial part of those conversations, but I also want to arrange site visits to understand members’ businesses and priorities so that we can further shape the association to their benefit,” he said.

Steve added that attracting and developing future talent remains a core focus for the business. 

“Automate UK is known for its commitment to developing and retaining talent. It operates its outstanding Automate BEST apprenticeship program in addition to the newly launched Apprenticeship Cluster designed to address critical skills shortages in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. 

“While these provide support, training and funding to inspire young people to enter the workforce, develop their skills and create the next generation of engineers, it’s easy to forget that the majority of the Automate UK board, including myself, have experience at the coalface. We should use that experience to enhance the value that we deliver as an organisation and to shape the future of the automation arena.

“With the Board fully committed to the continued evolution of the association, we are confident that Automate UK will move from strength to strength to fully support and benefit our membership as it grows,” he added.

James Causebrook, former Chair of Automate UK, said he was delighted that Steve had accepted the role: “For me, this was a very easy decision. Steve has been the engine behind the transformation we've delivered through our rebrand and has also been the person who truly understood the depth and detail of what that change would require.

“It is important to me that the continuity of that change continues, and Steve is the perfect person to help lead that journey,” he said.

Steve will take over the post with immediate effect, though James will host this year’s Chairman’s Lunch in December as his final act as Chair.

James will remain on the board until 2028 to support Steve and the Automate UK board.