Wrapping up December at the CEA

For a change, I won’t start this year-end blog with my normal ‘busy month, flew by’ – as they all seem to!   

November included the CECE Summit in Brussels, where I was officially voted onto the CECE Board (I have attended since April, but the Summit was the formal process). It also confirmed the UK Presidency of CECE for 2026 under the guidance of Phil Layton, Group Engineering Director at JCB. This means that the CEA will host the 2026 CECE Congress. This will take place at the IET, Savoy Place, London, from 27 to 29 October 2026. There will be lots of opportunities to get involved, which we will launch in the New Year. 

The day after Brussels, we hosted a table at the CPA Gala Dinner in Liverpool. The CEA were a primary sponsor for the event, and we enjoyed an excellent evening. A large percentage of UK equipment sales are into the rental sector, so being in the room with so many of our members’ customers was very powerful. 

The final Members’ Forum of 2025 took place in November. Kindly hosted by Caterpillar, the event was a sell-out, and we had to operate a waitlist for places. The dates for next year are already live on the website, and booking will open nearer the time, so make sure you keep an eye on your 2026 newsletters to avoid missing out on a place. Attendance for the Forums has grown throughout 2025, which we hope is a sign of how useful and insightful you find them. 

I am delighted to announce that at the very end of November, we made an employment offer to welcome a new member to the CEA team. Sharon Mughal will join us in January as Commercial Manager. She brings a wealth of experience in both trade associations and membership bodies. She is very excited to be joining the CEA at such an exciting time in our growth and development, and I am sure she will be a great asset to the team, helping grow our partnerships and member benefits. 

So far, December has included a visit to Manitou to meet Garth Bryson, the new UK Managing Director and his team. We have had a regular catch-up with the Datatag team to review all things CESAR and agree on the 2026 development plan, and I am meeting with the AEA later this month, also. 

The final GTC of 2025 takes place on 17 and 18 December in Daventry. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend this time, but I know the committee will enjoy a packed two-day agenda, with some Christmas networking alongside. 

I will be out of the office for the first couple of weeks of January as I finally get my new knee on New Years Eve! Not a bad gift for the new year. Anyone who saw me hobbling around PlantWorx with my stick will know why – and I look forward to greeting you all with a spring in my step at the March Members’ Forum if not before. The team are, of course, on hand to deal with any matters during my time out of the office. 

Beth also starts her maternity leave on 19 December. In the past few weeks, Beth has not only produced her handover plans and the 2025 Annual Review, which I hope you all enjoy reading as much as we did in creating it, but has also sold her flat and moved into a new home with her partner. We all wish Beth lots of joy and happiness for the baby’s arrival (and are keeping our fingers crossed that they don’t arrive early and that Beth gets a bit of a rest!) Again, Beth’s role will be fully covered so that BAU will continue. 

All that remains is to wish you all a happy, healthy, and peaceful Christmas and all the best for 2026. 

Best wishes