DLA presents prestigious awards at DTS 2023

  Posted by: Dental Design      16th May 2023

The Dental Laboratories Association (DLA) was delighted to present two prestigious awards at the Dental Technology Showcase (DTS) this year, recognising Robert Slade and Stephen Taylor’s outstanding contributions to the profession.

The DLA are pleased to announce that Rob Slade received the Special Recognition Award for Services to Dental Technology. The Award was presented by Steve Campbell, DLA President, during the ‘Skillbond Sundown Session’ at the Arden Hotel and Leisure Club on Friday 12^th May 2023.

Robert Slade was the first recipient of this award, which is one of the most prestigious awards the DLA will ever present. This is not an annual award; it will only be presented when there is an outstanding candidate who deserves such recognition. For comparison, the DLA introduced the ‘Fellowship Award’ in 2008, and this has only been awarded 3 times in 15 years. We expect a similar pattern for the Special Recognition Award for Services to Dental Technology. The award is in recognition of the outstanding work that Rob, and the team at Skillbond, have consistently shown to all members of the DLA.

Rob joined the Skillbond telesales team in 1989 at the age of 25, learning his trade and building his customer knowledge. By 1998, Robert had been promoted to Sales Manager, and 3 years later to Sales Director. Through Rob’s drive and determination, built on his outstanding knowledge of product and customer needs, it has grown to what it is today: the largest digital manufacturing operation in the UK dental market. Rob is a massive advocate of new technology in the dental lab, and has driven Skillbond to be the most successful reseller of 3 Shape scanners in the UK. He is at the forefront of Skillbond’s move into digital dentures, digital printing, aligners, zirconia, and a host of other product offerings.

The DLA are also pleased to announce that Stephen Taylor received the DLA Fellowship Award. The Award was presented by Ashley Byrne, DLA Director for Communications, at the DLA Lecture Theatre on Saturday 13^thMay 2023.

Stephen has been a leading ambassador for the profession of Dental Technology, long before it was officially recognised by the General Dental Council. Throughout his career he has been an innovator and an advocate of the working relationships within the dental team. Professionally, he has not only been a leading member of the Dental Technology community, but also a leader within Clinical Dental Technology. Stephen has been a keen advocate of professional education and training, which was formally acknowledged when he became Chairman of the British Institute of Dental & Surgical Technologists (BIDST), a role he has only recently ended as he merged BIDST with CGDent, again to support the dental team dynamic. During the pandemic, Stephen worked tirelessly with the Department of Health to have the voice of Dental Technology heard, achieving a number of notable acknowledgements regarding the role that dental technicians play in providing NHS dental treatment. This will hopefully have a lasting impact on future negotiations as the delivery of dentistry in the UK is reviewed. It is for these key contributions to dental technology and for his long-standing support of the DLA that we welcome Stephen Taylor as the fourth recipient of the DLA Fellowship Award with great pleasure.

The DLA would like to extend congratulations to both award winners and thank them for all their hard work and service to members over the years!

For more information about the DLA, please visit www.dla.org.uk