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From the CEO's Desk

Yesterday I celebrated an important anniversary - two months as Chief Executive Officer of Materials Australia - and it has been all go!

One of the advantages of being new to a job is that you can get away with asking those awkward questions that everyone has always wanted to ask but not sure of the response. Well, over the last two months it has been a steep learning curve with a lot of questions and a lot of information to absorb. I sincerely thank those who have given their time to meet me and in particular give some honest feedback to my suggestions, ideas and plans.

What are my observations coming in to this new job? After working in a number of professional membership associations for 18 years, what was noticeable about Materials Australia members - of those I've met so far - was the desire for Materials Australia to have a higher profile and further promote the professionalism of individual members. I was excited with some of the innovation and new thinking within the world of materials.

Professional Associations world wide are changing. Some will be a lot stronger and others that are no longer relevant will either fold up or merge with like associations. This can be due to a number of factors including change in industry focus and new technology, but in many cases it's the structure of the organisation, its platform of offerings or benefits that are not meeting the needs of its members.

One of the barriers to change for a not-for-profit is founded in the articles of association. These are the rules the organisation must be governed by and it is incumbent on the directors or councilors to ensure the organisation adheres to those rules. However many of these rules and bi-laws were made 30 years ago by a different group of members who had different needs. The new generation of members demand to be governed by an organisation that fits their needs. If their needs are not addressed then they do not bother joining.

The challenge for the Council and management of Materials Australia is to create an organisation that is vibrant and relevant for existing members and potential members - those who want to belong to this organisation now and into the future.

Fortunately for Materials Australia, we have a forward thinking and dynamic group of Councilors who are ready to change and under the leadership of David St John, we are about to enter a new phase where we will see Materials Australia become a significant voice to both Industry and Government.

Professional Association Executives, like me, are motivated by Boards that committed, informed and dynamic.

During May, the Councilors of Materials Australia will participate in developing a strategic plan including a new vision and establishing clear goals and expectations for the CEO and staff.

It will be my responsibility as CEO to ensure the strategic plan is implemented and ensure its operational function is achieving the goals and vision set by the Council.

One measure of our success will be the satisfaction of members and we're looking for further membership growth, and to have an organisation which is relevant and sustainable. We may be limited with finite resources but we can create infinite enthusiasm to achieve the Council's plan.

Key to our success is how we engage our members. We must be mindful at all times that this is an association for members - directly for the benefit of members and indirectly the greater community. Councilors, through their branch committees, are the voice of the members and Councilors are responsible to the members by ensuring their management decisions are in the interests of the members. From an operational point of view it is important we establish good communication at all levels. If the resources and timing is appropriate I would like to visit as many branch events as I can.

As we develop and implement the strategic plan and commence the promotion and marketing of the association and its members, it is critical that all members step up to the mark and engage themselves with Materials Australia.

If you have not attended a Materials Australia event for sometime, may I suggest you find out the time and date of the event in your state and get along to it. If you want to be involved or you think you can offer something that will add value to the profession or our strategic direction we would like to hear from you.

In summary, it has been an exciting and eventful two months. I am looking forward to implementing a plan that will take Materials Australia to the next level. I think we all want to make a difference and I believe the new look Materials Australia is the vehicle for achieving our goals.

I look forward to meeting more of our members and stakeholders in the near future.

Nick Koerbin
CEO
 

The Institute of Materials Engineering Australasia Ltd, trading as Materials Australia, is also a technical society of Engineers Australia, Suite 205 / 21 Bedford Street, NORTH MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 3051
Tel 61 3 9326 7266 Fax 61 3 9326 7272
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