MEMBER - COLLIN CROOKS, MBE FIRMS FIIM
Mr. Collin Crooks M.B.E. FIRMS, FIIM-Africa, is the Executive Chairman VIRTUSYNC LIMITED, UK. He has been involved in managing government records and information in major UK central government departments for two decades. He has become an authority of the practical implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) and Data Protection legislation. He also has had a long standing interest in education and training, and he helped to develop the concept of Northumbria University’s Information Rights qualification. He has been involved in numerous training and records management improvement projects across Africa and has worked with the International Records Management Trust (IRMT) extensively since its creation in 1989, including assignments in The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Malaysia and Ethiopia.
In Tanzania, he initiated, developed and implemented the first vocational training scheme for public sector records managers, supervisors and staff. He was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the UK 2009 New Year’s Honours List, for his work implementing FOI legislation and supporting developing countries in introducing records management improvements.
Just recently in 2014 the Information and Records management society of Great Britain awarded Mr. Collin Fellow of Information and Records Management Society FIRMS. Mr. Collin has been a long member of the advisory board of the Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa of which Virtusync is now also a corporate member and a Member of Royal Over-Seas League.
Specialties: Training and consultancy in records management and freedom of information