IPM Co-Chair, Simon Quin, retires after 30 year's service to place management
After over 30 year's of service to the place management sector, Professor Simon Quin retired from his role of Co-Chair of the Institute of Place Management and Executive Director of the High Streets Task Force earlier this year - but we only got the opportunity to have a farewell do together in Manchester, in March.
As many you will know Simon suffered a serious and very sudden debilitating illness last year when he contracted a rare brain infection. After many months of hospital visits and discussions with various specialists he was finally diagnosed and after a prolonged intensive treatment of penicillin the infection was eradicated. Simon faces many months of rehabilitation but as you can see from the photo he is making an incredible recovery!
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Simon's legacy in place management
Many of us in IPM will have known Simon ever since we have had any involvement with place management. Simon was an author of the influential URBED report Vital and Viable Town Centres report, commissioned by government and written nearly 30 years ago, the report was a road map of what Simon aimed to achieve to ensure towns and cities were well managed and successful. The report advocated strongly for town centre management. Simon then moved into place manager roles - in Reading and Romford. He was then appointed CEO of the Association of Town Centre Management – now the Association of Town and City Management – building it up to become the largest membership organisation in the world for town centre managers.
In 2004 ATCM entered into a joint project with Manchester Met and the concept of a professional institute for place managers was born. The Institute of Place Management started in 2004 which Simon co-chaired, with Cathy, Simon also lectured at Manchester Met and was a co-investigator on the ESRC project High Street UK 2020 – that really put the IPM on steep trajectory of success – helped grow membership, made it a trusted source of expertise for policy makers and led to bigger and bigger projects – like the High Streets Task Force, which Simon was the Executive Director for until his retirement, with Matt Colledge now appointed to that role.
Simon has been a fundamental driver of IPM's success. He is known the world over, he is a brilliant public speaker and he has dedicated most of his professional life to making sure the people who care about their places get recognition and support, especially from government.
Simon’s illness left an enormous gaping hole in not only IPM but the whole place management community. Anyone that has met Simon will know he is truly unique. So talented, so committed, yet kind, humorous and basically a very good friend. We are delighted that Simon is recovering and he will continue as a Senior Fellow of the IPM, and we look forward to continue working with him.
About the author
Formed in 2006, the Institute of Place Management is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better.