Andrew Denton: 'need to be at the heart of the outdoor industry'
The trade body representing outdoors companies is moving its headquarters to the Lake District.
The Outdoor Industries Association is currently based at Ratho, Edinburgh, but will complete its move by the middle of next month.
Communications director and former chief executive Louise Ramsay and administration manager Catriona Rice, who are based in the current head office at Ratho, will not be relocating to the Lakes and have chosen to take redundancy.
The OIA will move in with the Windermere company that provides its accountancy services, saving it money at a time when an operating loss has eaten into its cash reserves.
Chief executive Andrew Denton said the move to the Lake District makes sense both financially and strategically for the organisation, with thousands of outdoor enthusiasts visiting the area and many top brands based at nearby Staveley.
He said: “It has the tremendous benefit of being a real boost to our sustainability and our bottom line.
“With the best will in the world, being stuck out on a limb in Edinburgh was not at the heart of the outdoor industry.
“We need to be positioned most effectively strategically geographically at the heart of that industry.”
The announcement was made at the association’s annual meeting at Newfield Hall in Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales.
A spokesperson for the trade body, which has members from retailing, outdoor brands, service providers and representative bodies, said: “The OIA office will sit halfway between retailers in Ambleside and brands in Kendal, and in the central part of the most visited outdoor destination in the UK.
“The office allows easy local access to the national rail network, incorporates on-site meeting rooms which association members will be able to use, and is surrounded by numerous hotels and B&Bs for visitors who need to stay overnight.
“In addition, the OIA will be close to the European Outdoor Group base in Kendal, improving the ease with which the two organisations can collaborate.”
The association will shortly be advertising the full-time post of marketing and communications manager at Windermere.
Corry Taylor, OIA chairman, said: “I would like to thank Louise and Catriona for all the hard work that they have undertaken for the OIA.
“They have both played a pivotal role in transforming the association into a much more dynamic and relevant trade body for the outdoor industry. Louise and Catriona have overseen the development and delivery of some major projects and really helped the OIA to form the platform on which our future plans will be built.
“On behalf of both the OIA board and the members, I thank Louise and Catriona for their invaluable input and wish them both all the very best for the future.”
Louise Ramsay: played a pivotal role
Ms Ramsay added: “While both Catriona and myself have opted to stay in Scotland for family and business reasons, we wish Andrew Denton and the new executive the best of luck with the exciting new initiatives on the horizon for both the outdoor industry at large and the association itself.
“I would also like to personally to offer my thanks and appreciation to the board, and the members, for all of their support and input over the last three years.”
- grough is a member of the Outdoor Industries Association
