Institute of Transport Management
The Institute of Transport Management is a non-profit organisation founded in England in 1977 to aid, oversee and reform the standards in the transport industry. Based in London, with a production facility in Co. Galway, Ireland, the organisation has a Europe-wide scope. The institute's stated objectives are among others: Its principal activity has been the distribution of awards to companies, nominally those with innovative transport products and services. The companies nominate themselves or others for these awards, and after a period of independent research, a short list is compiled naming the winners. A  Lifetime Achievement award is also given to a person who distinguishes themselves throughout their career and achievements. Not all categories are filled from year to year due to this application process. History. Established in 1977, The Institute of Transport Management, also known as ITM, was the first to award companies and individuals for their effort in the transport industry in Europe. SME's, multinationals and other supporting industries have received numerous awards since the Institutes establishment. Through the decades and as a result of incredible growth in the industry, the Institute of Transport Management had increased its award categories. In  2001, Dealers Choice Award was introduced to reflect the opinions of the automotive industry through their interaction with products and customers. Those taking part in the nominations are not allowed to vote for their own company and must be nominated by other individuals. In May 2014, the institute announced that it is restructuring the company by moving its headquarters to London and opening a production facility in Ireland. The process started in 2013 where the Institute focused on updating their database and fostering new links around the world so that they are up to date on the most current research  prior to the 2014 re-launch. The re-branding of the companies website from ITMawards to ITM World is an enlargement strategy employed to give the institute a worldwide presence in the evolving transport industry and revive the long-standing achievement of the international awards body. By October 2014, ITM hoped to relaunch its exclusive online publication, "The Transport Journal". The quarterly research journal reports into all the industry sectors and looks at future innovations in the transport industries. Membership. The Institute of Transport Management has nearly 18,000 members from across the globe. The members are from the transport industry  and affiliating companies who have a say in the award process, with some of them being selected to be part of the Award Committee itself. The Institute hopes to increase its membership to over 20,000 by 2015.