Marija Erzen appointed chair of ESSA and EIA

Marija will be taking over from outgoing ESSA chair Lou Kiwanuka, and utilising her significant 30 years of experience working in the sector to benefit the membership. She is a firm believer in the importance of an association, opting to become a founding ESSA member and part of its board in 2019. As co-owner and director of design and build company Solutions2, Marija provides a significant voice for the 45% of design and build contractors and privately owned SME ESSA members.

Talking about her vision for the future of ESSA, Marija said : “The association has taken great strides in the past two years under Lou’s steady hand, setting us on a very strong course of continued improvement. We have seen the launch of numerous fantastic initiatives and have made significant headway regarding our representation within Government, and I am committed to keeping this momentum going.”

“A standout feature has been the wonderful sense of community amongst members which particularly came to the fore during Covid-19. Our key role is to retain and nurture this as it is, without doubt, one of the most significant benefits of membership. Membership growth is also high on my list of priorities and that works in tandem with ESSA’s ‘Refer a Member’ and ‘Use an ESSA Member’ schemes, both of which I am a huge advocate. I look forward to working with the ESSA Board and the secretariat to cultivate our strong and united voice.”

The autumn will also see Marija appointed as chair of theEvents Industry Alliance (EIA), which provides a secretariat and platform for the AEO, AEV and ESSA to work together for the good of events.