Last updated 10:14, Friday, 11 July 2008

CORBRIDGE’S Jim Beale has stood down as president of the North-East branch of the Chartered Institute of Marketing after 10 years in the role.

Moving on: Jim Beale has been president of the CIM in the North-East for the past decade.

A lunch was held in his honour at the Northern Counties Club in Newcastle, attended by senior members of the institute from the branch and the Northern region.

“Jim has made a tremendous contribution to this branch,” said current chairman Joanna Berry. “We have been lucky to have his wise counsel all these years, and I am sure he will continue to play a part in the progress of the branch.”

Jim started his career as a brand manager for Procter and Gamble, before joining the PA Consulting Group in Scotland as a marketing consultant.

He then moved to Ireland, where he was responsible for all PA’s marketing work, both north and south of the border.

When he moved back to the North-East he was director in charge of all PA’s consultancy work in the Northern region, based on Newcastle.

Jim has had a long association with the institute. He is a Fellow of it and holds the President’s Award, and has been chairman of both the Northern Ireland and North-East branches.

He was also national chairman of the institute in 1990-1 and president of the European Marketing Confederation in 1993-4.

He will continue as chairman of both the institute’s benevolent fund, which gives assistance to members in troubled times, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Charitable Trust, which makes grants to organisations to further the art and science of marketing.

Jim recently stood down as a trustee of the CIM staff pension fund after 19 years, the last 12 of which were as chairman.

He served for a time as deputy chairman of the Rail Passengers' Council, and continues as a governor and vice chairman of CILT, The National Centre for Languages.

Jim was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1997 for services to education.