At its Annual General Meeting in July PEFC UK's Chairman, Hugh Miller OBE announced his retirement.  Hugh has been succeeded by long standing Director, Ross Bradshaw.

In his farewell report, Hugh commented, "PEFC has made substantial progress and has much to celebrate. In less than two decades, PEFC has gone from an organisation of 11 national certification systems to 38 member countries and it is still growing." He added that, "Today, two thirds of all certified forests globally are certified to PEFC standards, and more than half of the world's traded sustainable forest products are being sourced from forests that are certified to PEFC-endorsed standards."

Incoming Chairman, Ross Bradshaw has worked in the paper manufacturing industry for over twenty five years. He began his career by training as a paper maker in Aberdeen.  In addition to his role at PEFC UK, Ross is active in a number of industry groups, including The Paper and Board Association and The Stationers Company, The City of London Livery Company for the Communications and Content industries, where he is a Liveryman.

Currently, Ross runs his own paper agency business representing a number of speciality paper mills from the USA and Europe, offering bespoke publishing and packaging papers. Ross is PEFC UK's longest serving director, having joined the Board in 2007.

Commending the steady progress that the organisation has experienced under Professor Miller's chairmanship, Ross said, "PEFC UK has gone from strength to strength under Hugh's leadership. The number of companies undergoing Chain of Custody certification continues to grow, and the PEFC label is appearing on more and more consumer-facing products. This year we (PEFC UK) are embarking on a new project to encourage more UK forest owners to enter into certification so that they are able to help meet growing market demand for certified raw materials."