For decades, Rory Macnamara has been a prominent and familiar voice in the plumbing industry – documenting its evolution, challenging its shortcomings and celebrating its progress. At the World Plumbing Conference 2026, that life-long commitment was recognised internationally when he received the Geoffrey Marsh Distinguished Service Award from the World Plumbing Council (WPC).
As founder of Interact Media Defined (IMD) and long-standing writer of Plumbing Africa, Rory has spent years helping shape conversations across the plumbing industry, as well as the mining, refrigeration and cold chain sectors.
The Geoffrey Marsh Distinguished Service Award is among the WPC’s highest honours. Named after Geoffrey Marsh, the WPC’s founding Chair, the award recognises individuals whose careers demonstrate exceptional leadership, sustained commitment and lasting contributions to advancing the global plumbing profession. Recipients are recognised not simply for professional achievement, but for strengthening the industry through education, advocacy, collaboration and commitment.1
During the presentation, Dave Viola, CEO of IAPMO and IWSH, spoke about the qualities that have defined Rory’s career:
“For over 60 years, Rory has dedicated his working life to building lasting relationships in all of the various industries that he has been involved in.
“This is evidenced by a successful publishing and exhibition business, and leading trade and technical brands in South Africa.
“Without knowing anything about the industries, his success is based on uplifting the industries by establishing key relationships and working with the industries to disseminate relevant content.
“Rory is not scared to get his hands dirty and challenge the status quo – holding key industry players accountable for the simple reason of enforcing standards and uplifting the industries.
“His contributions and respect do not go unnoticed, having received numerous acknowledgements from the various industries – the most recent being the accolade of Legend from the Institute of Plumbing in South Africa.
“Key words that describe Rory are passion, commitment, loyalty, and a never-quit attitude.
Congratulations to Rory Macnamara on this remarkable international recognition.
Click here to see Rory receiving his award.
Rory accepted his Geoffrey Marsh Distinguished Service Award wearing his IOPSA Legend belt.
© Plumbing Africa
Reference:
- World Plumbing Conference – World Plumbing Council Awards and Recognition Program – World Plumbing Council
