A businessman with more than 20 years’ experience in the hire industry has been co-opted onto the board of Hire Association Europe.

Graham Dobbs, of inspHire Limited in Nottingham, took up his post at Hire Association Europe in January 2008 where he will serve as a co-opted member of the HAE Board.

Graham became a member of the board after being encouraged by other members to nominate himself when one of its directors stood down.

Graham said: “I could see a change within the HAE and I wanted to become part of it. After attending the Hire Association’s last few annual events, I witnessed the true effort and dedication that goes into running HAE and maintaining its high standards. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to other companies I had come into contact with, and I wanted to play a greater part in continuing its reputable organisation.”

HAE is the leading trade association for hire and rental companies in the UK. It was formed in 1974 and represents 1,000 member companies with more than 3,000 hire and rental depots and branches across the UK. That membership also brings together some diverse sectors of the hire industry including tool and equipment, plant, audio visual, catering, leisure and portable sanitation – as well as suppliers and manufacturers to the industry. Graham has a wealth of knowledge of hire. He has worked in the hire industry for more than 20 years and has been a member of HAE all this time.

Graham is currently Managing Director for inspHire Ltd, responsible for UK and overseas sales for new and existing clients. InspHire provides hire and rental software solutions to the entire rental industry, offering applications to suit all sizes of hire business in every sector.

inspHire has been a member of HAE since 1994 and it provide software to many HAE members.

“Graham Dobbs is an enthusiastic supporter of the association and will provide additional energy to the board. Software solutions for hire companies are a very important part of the hire industry today and having a representative from this supplier sector on the board will enable us to continue to improve our proactivity in the industry. I am sure that Graham’s knowledge of the hire industry as a software supplier to both the tool and equipment and the events sectors will prove invaluable to HAE and its member companies in the future.” - Graham Arundell, Managing Director of Hire Association Europe.