EDA welcomes its 93rd President, Charlie Lacey

The Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) has confirmed Charlie Lacey, Managing Director at Stearn Electric, as its 93rd President. Charlie takes over from CEF’s Chris Ashworth and will lead the association for the next two years.

Charlie joined the EDA Board in July 2018, and has served as Vice President since December 2019.

Charlie says, “Chris has led the association through one of its most challenging times – the COVID pandemic and repeated lockdowns. His leadership has been a case study in resilience and flexibility.

“Chris is a passionate advocate for access to professional training, which is a passion I share. Under his presidency, the award-winning 12 EDA Product Knowledge Modules were being adapted from printed textbooks into a digital training option with videos and interactive learning. Work is underway to adapt the most popular modules to a digital learning format, and it is expected that all 12 will be available to EDA businesses by the middle of this year.

“As president, I plan to continue to encourage EDA businesses to engage with all areas of our work. In particular, I hope to see our wholesalers and affiliated members attending our online and in person events, where so much crucial information is shared by the EDA team.

“One of our key activities since 2020 has been to try and help our members and affiliates with the digitalisation of the sector through the growth of EDATA, the data pool. I believe that the data pool is the most effective channel through which to share product information with wholesalers, and I hope wholesalers will take advantage of their free access to EDATA and use its Dynamic Data Sheets during their trade counter discussions and quotations.

“The association will continue to strengthen its relationships with industry bodies and relevant trade associations in this sector. This collaboration means the EDA can best serve its membership with timely access to information, market trends and opportunities.”