ADIA Life Membership Honour For Pam Clark - Cattani Australia

More than three decades of service to ADIA and the broader dental industry has seen Ms Pam Clark of Cattani Australia receive Life Membership of the Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA), the peak business organisation representing manufacturers and suppliers of dental products.

In recognising Ms Clark's contribution to the industry, the ADIA Board noted her breadth of experience on a local to a global level.

"So much of our Association's work relies upon the contribution of dental industry professionals who go above and beyond what can be reasonably expected of them. Pam's contribution is a great example of such service to ADIA and the broader dental industry," said Mr Mike Covey, ADIA National President.

Ms Clark's contribution began some three decades ago when she volunteered to serve as secretary of the ADIA Victorian Branch and, as her knowledge of the industry grew, she went on to become president of the branch. Since then, Pam has gone on to hold almost every leadership position within the Association at a state and national level.

"It is pertinent on such an occasion to note that the Association's prominence in policy advocacy, trade show provision, economic modelling along with a continued strong financial position are all outcomes of initiatives commenced during Pam's tenure," Mr Covey said.

It has been at a global level where Ms Clark's contribution was truly unique, serving as the first female president of the association of International Dental Manufacturers (IDM), the global representative body for the dental industry. Ms Clark also served as a long-standing Australian delegate to the committee of the International Organization for Standardization that produces technical standards for dental products, and supporting the development of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in order to ensure that this important treaty to phase-out industrial uses of mercury would allow continued access to mercury for the production of dental amalgam over the short to medium term.

"Pam is an important part of the dental industry in Australia. Her active contribution continues as Chair of the ADIA-DRC Dental Regulation Committee, which allows businesses within the dental industry the opportunity to contribute to the development of policy and standards for the supply of dental products; and as Chair of the Australian Dental Research Foundation, which provides grants enabling valuable research to take place in the dental and oral healthcare space," Mr Covey concluded.

Ms Clark was presented with ADIA Life Membership at the ADIA Ninetieth Anniversary celebration held recently in Melbourne. Attended by nearly one hundred representatives from across Victoria's dental industry, the event recognised the many individuals who, along with Ms Clark, have contributed to the success of the Association since its establishment in 1925.