Bryan’s first contact with EPDA
Maurizio Adreani Jr. and Jos Vanoirbeek of EPDA, at that time Vice-President and President of EPDA, flew to London to meet Bryan Heath and Lorraine Cookham at Birmingham Airport in 2000. That was the first time Bryan met with the EPDA board. Not knowing all the adventures, he would go on with EPDA. Bryan initially planned to broaden the scope of the British Plastics Stockholders Association (BPSA) by working closely with EPDA, but it eventually led to BPSA merging into EPDA. Bryan was our Vice President for 3 years, our President for 4 years and an honorary board member for 6 years, for which he received a long service award in Barcelona in 2015. In the last two years, he was involved in building a Next Generation Network.
Always a question
Bryan was known for his commitment, warm welcome, funny comments, and always asking a question. In his opinion, it was the least you could do when a speaker had made the effort to speak at our conference. He always showed interest in new members joining EPDA for the first time and tried to support them with mentoring talks and advice. He helped wherever he could to make sure the association kept its relevancy because he found that key for EPDA.
Not even seven months ago, Bryan was healthy, happy, and making jokes at our last conference in Helsinki. He held an inspiring mentoring session and shared his ideas for the 2025 conference. Knowing that Bryan will not be there with us is beyond comprehension. We will miss him, his humour, and his dedication. We will remember his positivity, advice, warmth, and his questions.
Rest in peace, Bryan.
