David Cormack has officially commenced his two-year tenure as Chair of the Board at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) as of 1 January 2026, succeeding outgoing Chair Oliver Auston.
Cormack steps into the role after serving as Vice Chair for the past two years alongside Auston and contributing to LEEA’s work through membership of its Technical Committee. In his first remarks as Chair, Cormack praised Auston’s leadership, noting that under his tenure LEEA made significant progress in supporting its members and raising industry standards.
Looking ahead, Cormack highlighted continued international growth for the association and reaffirmed LEEA’s commitment to maintaining excellence through a strengthened member assessment process. A central focus of the next phase will be the introduction of LEEA’s new end-user membership grade, aimed at directly engaging organisations that own, procure and operate lifting equipment. According to Cormack, this move will strengthen LEEA’s influence on safety and best practice throughout the entire lifting lifecycle.
Cormack brings extensive industry experience, having spent his entire career in the lifting sector. He began as an apprentice with Coubro & Scrutton, a founder supporter of the Chain Testers Association, which later evolved into LEEA. Over time he developed wide-ranging engineering expertise and progressed to Marine Sales Manager.
In 2001, he founded Delphini, a specialist manufacturer of lifting, securing and access products primarily for the marine sector, as well as producing specialist structural steelwork. The company exports to ship owners, agents and port operators worldwide.
Cormack confirmed he will work closely with the Board and the LEEA leadership team to ensure the association keeps pace with a changing world, while continuing to raise standards and encourage safe practice across the global lifting industry.
