New Trading Standards Institute chairman appointed

26th September 2014

Mark McGinty, a Highland Council Trading Standards Team Leader has been announced as the new Chairman of the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).

Spending 22 years in local authority trading standards, Mark began his career in the Lothian region as a trainee assistant enforcement officer following brief spells as a student in the Fife and Tayside regions. He gained experience and obtained the Diploma in Consumer Affairs before moving to Angus Council in 1997. After obtaining the Diploma in Trading Standards in 2003, he moved to The Highland Council as a Trading Standards Officer.

Promoted in 2010 to Team Leader, and as part of the management team, his key areas of service delivery include weights and measures, petroleum, product safety, community safety and age-restricted sales.

As a qualified Trading Standards Practitioner, Mark endeavours to demonstrate the important role the profession has, working collaboratively and sharing resources to best serve the community.

For the past six years he has been a member TSI's governing body, TSI Council, and its Qualifications and Awards Board, where he is passionate about his role in steering the direction of education and learning for future professionals.

Mark said: "I feel immensely honoured and privileged to take up the role of Chairman and have the opportunity to serve TSI members and the wider Trading Standards community.

"Times continue to be challenging and we need to look forward and face these challenges, not only by demonstrating our value and the important role Trading Standards plays to those around us, but by demonstrating to ourselves as individuals that our professional competencies are contemporary and that we can deliver.

"I look forward to promoting the great work being carried out by the profession, to meeting and discussing with members and non-members alike, our challenges and how we overcome them, and of course, in doing the best I can to take the profession forward."