The IAPMO Group is pleased to announce the hiring of Grant Stewart as manager of International Projects.
A 22-year veteran of the plumbing trades, the Australian native was a WorldSkills plumbing competitor in 1997 and most recently served as WorldSkills Australia’s Plumbing Chief Expert. He is a plumbing instructor at the Illawarra Institute of Technology’s Wollongong campus, a vocational school about 50 miles south of Sydney.
In June, Stewart worked with IAPMO, the WorldSkills Foundation, Healthabitat, the World Plumbing Council, and the Institute of Technical Education in Singapore on the inaugural Water Innovation Challenge, a three-day competition pitting teams from the United States and Australia against one another to develop innovative solutions for emerging water and sanitation problems in Nepal and Bangladesh in a series of hands-on design challenges.
“IAPMO is increasing its emphasis on international humanitarian and sanitation related activities through collaboration with such organizations as the World Plumbing Council, WorldSkills, and Healthabitat,” said GP Russ Chaney, CEO of The IAPMO Group. “Grant having been an integral part of the success of those partnerships through his mentorship made him a perfect candidate to come on board and manage The IAPMO Group’s expanding involvement in such activities.”
Stewart also led two Nepal Sanitation Studio projects in rural, mountainous communities as part of Healthabitat, during which he worked with IAPMO’s Jed Scheuermann and former IAPMO Board member Tom Gugino.
“Grant’s reputation in the humanitarian sectors of our industry is one of great respect and dedication,” said Dave Viola, chief operating officer of The IAPMO Group. “His influence upon our efforts will be immediate and far reaching.”
Stewart will oversee the planning and execution of a follow up to the Water Innovation Challenge, the Community Plumbing Challenge, to be held in India in September 2015 in conjunction with the Indian Plumbing Association’s annual conference.
“I’m excited lead The IAPMO Group’s significant contributions to the international plumbing community’s outreach into developing nations to help ensure that people worldwide have access to clean water and safe, healthy sanitation systems,” Stewart said.
Last modified: November 10, 2014