The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) is on the way up, according to Neil Donaldson who is fired with enthusiasm for his new role as president of the organisation.

Mr Donaldson, chairman and chief executive of James Donaldson Group, has come into office two years earlier than he had anticipated.

Mark Plews, managing director of UCM plc, was due to take the post, with Mr Donaldson as his deputy. However, Mr Plews decided instead to accept the nomination for the post of treasurer to succeed Charles Sherborne.

Having worked in the timber trade for the past 30 years, Mr Donaldson believes he has more than completed his induction period for the role which makes him the second Scottish president in the TTF’s 113-year history – his father being the first in 1985-87.

Taking over from John Tong, Mr Donaldson said it was a great time to become president as, at the recent AGM, members adopted the Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP).

“The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of the RPP becoming compulsory once 51% of members have signed up to it,” he said. “The Federation has just taken a huge step forward and I couldn’t have wished for a better start to my presidency. At the moment about 25% of around 160 members are signed up to the RPP.”

Giving a taste of what to expect during his two years in office, he said a major part of the strategy will centre on communication. “One of the key drivers is to attract new members and we will endeavour to do that through communication,” he said. “The TTF has turned the corner and will be transparent, communicative and responsive.”

Business plan

The TTF’s chief executive John White has drawn up a comprehensive business plan which will be delivered at the TTF conference in October and Mr Donaldson disclosed that it will include major improvements to the website, enhanced political activity, and an active PR campaign.

He also sees the TTF having a role in helping facilitate greater collaboration between those bodies interested in growing the use of wood and wooden products. “I am keen to get actively involved in this, perhaps moderating a meeting to get a common consensus.”

&#8220The 2012 Olympics are going to be very good for us. There will be a huge investment and we want to get a share of that for the timber industry”

John Tong

The UK currently uses less timber per capita than anywhere else in Europe and Mr Donaldson said: “It has to be a goal for the federation to grow that, whether it be an I-beam or a wooden window. However, we need to walk before we can run and I am wary about inviting too many people to the party from day one.”

He sees the area associations as the lifeblood of the TTF but said the federation needs to be in touch with them on a regular basis. “That was one of the problems in the past – the area associations felt they were doing an OK job but the federation wasn’t.”

Responsible Purchasing Policy

Mr Donaldson said the TTF also needs to be more imaginative in the way it promotes the use of timber. “We have got to move on to things that seem to be gripping people’s attention, such as the RPP.”

The TTF, he said, is now in good heart. “We have a policy whereby only 90% of our income is spent. The rest is put back into the federation and that will remain the case until we have redressed the balance sheet,” he said. “The drawer was almost empty, but now it is looking good.”

And that he puts down to the efforts of former presidents Geoff Rhodes and John Tong. “Geoff grappled with the task and John completed it pretty much on his own until John White was appointed. Without those two individuals coming to the podium at the right time we wouldn’t have the federation we have today.”

For John Tong it has been a hectic four years as vice-president and then president, starting when the federation’s financial troubles began to come to light. “Back then, most of the time was spent discussing the finances and the lack of accounts – but now our reputation has been repaired and we can start to be proactive,” he said.

“We are very involved with government and policy makers and Andy Roby, our head of environment and corporate social responsibility, has been a good conduit in helping us to understand their psyche. Before we talked at them, but now we understand what they want. The RPP has been a substantial move forward and we need the rest of Europe to come with us on this stand against illegal logging.”

Now things are on an even keel, and he hopes the federation can pull back some of the members it lost. “Neil has the opportunity to take things on with the core team here,” he said. “The 2012 Olympics are going to be very good for us. There will be a huge investment and we want to get a share of that for the timber industry.”