THE executive director of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) has announced she will stand down from the role. 

Shireen Chambers MBE FICFor has confirmed she will leave the prominent industry position at the end of June. 

Coming 15 years after she joined the ICF, Shireen, who oversaw a doubling of member numbers in that time, made the announcement in a blog post today. 

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She wrote: "We are just about to embark on a new five-year strategy in a time of unprecedented political support for our sector and that, together with a fantastically skilled and committed secretariat, with support and direction from a dedicated president, vice president and council, I feel I am leaving the institute in very capable hands for the exciting times ahead.

"I have been really privileged to have the job that I’ve had and hope that a new executive director will look with fresh eyes at our work and lead us to new and exciting heights."

During her time with the ICF, Shireen, who studied forestry and soil science at Bangor University, played a key role in the launch of the Development Woodland Officer programme and was appointed an MBE by the Queen in 2019's Birthday Honours for her contribution to the industry. 

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She added: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my role over the past 15 years and have very mixed feelings about leaving, in part because of the fantastic members that make the job so rewarding and challenging. Thank you for being a part of that."

A a sub-committee of council is currently working on recruiting for a replacement.