First woman president for industry association

At the recent annual general meeting of the Australian Dental Industry Association, Pam Clark, a director of Cattani Australia, was elected as the first ever female Federal President of the Association.

"I'm obviously honoured to take on the roll of President of the ADIA," Mrs Clark said. "The fact that I'm the first woman to assume the roll is reflective of the gender balancing that is occurring everywhere in dentistry. I've been on the board of the ADIA for over 10 years so I've served my apprenticeship and believe I know the needs of the membership well.

"My experiences in the ADIA allow me to bring corporate memory to the board that is valuable in both explaining the decisions of the past and to also assist with future planning. Part of those plans will include exploring how the industry can become involved in growing the dental market. We will be forming a strategic planning committee to address this and actively seeking partnerships throughout the dental community."

Mr Daryn Bungey was also elected Vice President; Ken McInnes, Secretary; and Nigel Davis became Immediate Past President.

The AGM took place as part of the ADIA's biennial conference for members at the Melbourne Business School on the Mornington Peninsula in October. The three-day event attracted members of the industry from across Australia to hear a range of speakers from both inside and outside of dentistry.

"The ADIA invests considerable energy into staging our biennial Federal Conference and we try and offer an eclectic mix of speakers delivering a diverse range of information for our members," said Executive Officer Duncan Campbell. "It's also an opportunity for us to get together socially and to give some forethought as to the future directions of dentistry and the industry in general."

Around 60 people attended the Conference dinner on the final Saturday night and at that time, Messrs Keith Mentiplay, Armin Roth, Bill Clark and Ed Calwell were all honoured for 40 years of service to the industry. Life Membership was also presented to Keith Mentiplay, a past president of the association who recently retired as managing director of A-dec Australia.