15th January 2025
IOR President Lisa-Jayne Cook, CEO Miriam Rodway and Past President Graeme Fox met for mediation in December and the IOR is pleased to release the following statement which has been agreed by all parties:
The IOR and Past President Graeme Fox are pleased to announce that they have been able to resolve their differences and look forward to working collaboratively going forward.
Mr Fox and IOR CEO Ms Rodway had a very constructive and positive discussion during the mediation process.
Mr Fox has acknowledged and apologised for comments made which caused significant distress to the CEO, and concern to the Board of Trustees, and which he accepts were unhelpful in bringing their dispute to a successful conclusion. The Board of Trustees have acknowledged and apologised for their treatment of Mr Fox in relation to him raising serious concerns that he had earlier in the year, which they accept exacerbated the situation at the time and caused Mr Fox significant distress.
Both sides look forward to rebuilding the working relationship which had previously been positive and productive and the IOR looks forward to benefitting once more from Mr Fox's significant contributions to the wider sector as well as the work of the Institute itself.
addendum 17th January 2025
The IOR Board has respectfully requested Graeme Fox cease actions on Linkedin that detract from the agreed dispute resolution and honours IOR governance and the vote of members at the AGM to resolve this matter by mediation. We acknowledge that Graeme Fox has some outstanding issues and have agreed to meet with him to discuss these. The Board takes full responsibility for upholding the governance processes of IOR in line with our constitution and recognises the need to foster trust and collaboration amongst members.
We continue to work constructively alongside Lisa-Jayne Cook, who has started her term as President with professionalism and a clear vision for the future. Her initiatives, including a successful Presidential address and a focus on education, reflect her commitment to advancing the IOR’s goals. The Board supports her efforts and leadership.
The President, CEO, and Past President participated in mediation to resolve the dispute. All parties worked in good faith and constructive actions were agreed to close this matter. The Board is committed to these actions and to ensuring our focus remains on the IOR’s vital work in advancing RACHP science and technology.
We thank our members for their continued support as we work to move forward.
28 May 2025
Lots to discuss at the "enough" retail workshop on commercial refrigeration and food chain emissions reduction on 27th May
22 May 2025
IOR has published its latest Education Guidance Note in the series, this time focusing on Coaching as a way of employers supporting engineering and technician development. The Guidance Note (16) gives a guide to understanding the benefits of coaching, how this differs from mentoring and includes a useful list of organisations who can offer help with setting up coaching schemes or offer coaching.
21 May 2025
IOR members showed their support for the Cold Chain Federation (CCF) campaign to recognise the Cold Chain as part of the UK's critical national infrastructure, as they attended the CCF's reception at the Houses of Parliament on 20th May.
8 May 2025
Expert in climate change adaptation Tim Fox will deliver a keynote talk at the IOR’s Adaptation 2025 conference detailing why cooling is now a “mission critical” service, essential to public health, food security, global commerce, and economic well-being.
7 May 2025
Watch this webinar on catch-up, which focused on implementing technologies and operational strategies capable of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the European retail sector.