The end of an era

Having been with the British Pump Manufacturers Association for the better part of 25 years, Steve Schofield is retiring from his position as the Association’s CEO in April of this year.

Steve has enjoyed employment at four different pump manufacturers throughout his 47-year career, although for a little under half that time, he has worked with and supported many, many more such companies working for, and latterly leading, the BPMA. His pump engineering career began in 1975 with a 13-year term at Mather and Platt, where he successfully completed a mechanical engineering and business management course via Tameside College before moving on to become an Area Manager for Durco Europe.

In 1990 he relocated from the North-West to the South of England to become Sales Manager for Flowserve, where he spent six years increasing sales and overseeing seven field engineers.
There then followed a move to Hayward Tyler in 1996, where he managed both internal and external sales engineers and where he first gained his love of airports, travelling extensively throughout the Middle East, South Africa, Canada, and America.

But in 1998, after 23 years in the industry, he was encouraged to join the BPMA as its Technical Director, working alongside the then CEO, Brian Huxley. Making that role very much his own, he became actively involved in European Commission energy efficiency programmes, including the much-valued Pump Life Cycle Costing initiative. Assuming the role of Secretary for a host of European standards-based working groups, Steve has been heavily involved in the creation of various international guides in areas such as variable speed pumps and system efficiency in Rotodynamic pumps.

Over the years, he has worked closely with UK Government departments such as DEFRA, DECC and BEIS, on numerous initiatives, including the development and introduction of the Certified Pump Systems Auditor Scheme (CPSA) as well as becoming Convener for the ISO TC115 Pump System Assessment standard ISO 14414.

His knowledge and expertise, particularly in relation to pump system efficiency, has made him a highly sought-after participant in meetings and conferences the World over, during which he has tirelessly represented the interests of the pump manufacturing sector at national and international levels.
In 2013, he took over the role of CEO at the BPMA, and throughout his tenure has continued to engage both directly and indirectly with other trade bodies and organisations and has maintained a strong and influential involvement with Europump, the Association of European Pump Manufacturers, of which BPMA is a founding member.

The Association will be left in the safe hands of Wayne Rose, who, having shadowed Steve for the past three months, will officially take over the position of CEO in April, with Steve remaining on-hand for a while longer to help and assist if needed.

Steve’s colleagues at the BPMA, Steve Smith and Gary Wilde, the Association’s Council, wider membership and all those that have worked with him during his career, wish him all the best for a long and happy retirement.