Ben Bowsher, former CEO, CARES.

Ben Bowsher, the former CEO of CARES, the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels, has died following a long illness.

Ben first joined CARES as an auditor in 1987, when the authority was still in its early stages. He went on to rise through various managerial positions before being appointed Executive Director in 1993, moving on to become CEO in 2012.

In January 2015 Ben advised the Board that he had decided to stand down from his position due to ill health. His decision was agreed by the Board “with great regret” and, despite his illness, Ben continued to take an active interest in the work of CARES. He died on Friday 11^th May.

Lee Brankley, his successor as CEO, paid tribute to the “unstinting efforts undertaken by Ben in raising the standards of purchasing, processing and traceability of reinforcement products.”

Mr Brankley said: “Ben Bowsher played an enormously important role in this industry. He worked tirelessly to create an environment where CARES’ certification created widespread confidence among specifiers, contractors and clients.”

He added: “I am personally very grateful to Ben for the ongoing guidance and support he continued to provide despite the onset of ill health. He will be missed by everyone here at CARES.”

Professor Les Clark OBE, Chairman of CARES, said: “Ben Bowsher was an ever-present figure at the heart of CARES for almost 30 years and he was highly-regarded across the industry for his work in building awareness of the importance of product certification.

“When Ben first joined CARES the UK reinforcement industry’s reputation for product quality and consistency was relatively poor; by the time of his resignation due to ill health the environment had been transformed – in large part thanks to the hard work undertaken by Ben over many years.

“Everyone at CARES, together with his many friends and colleagues across the industry, will remember Ben with fondness,” added Professor Clark.