Associations World Congress & Expo

As a senior defence analyst Lieutenant-Colonel Dean Black helped coordinate early development of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces’ corporate strategy. Today, as Executive Director of the RCAF Association he supports the board of volunteer directors in their mission to govern a not-for-profit volunteer association of over 6,000 members. Dean also serves as Publishing Editor - Graphic Designer of Airforce Magazine, the success of which is largely attributable to the talents of supportive editorial and administrative staffs, and scores of passionate members who believe in the value of their country's air force.

Mary Ellen Brennan, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, human resource consultant and executive coach, has 20 years' experience in human resources in trade and professional associations and law firms. Her areas of expertise include organizational culture, performance management, work/life programs such as telework, and recruiting. She facilitates and leads personal and professional development training, as well as strategic planning and team-building retreats. She managed the development of an association’s award-winning career stages project which defined the skills and experience needed by members at various stages in their careers, leading to additional opportunities for the association. Mary Ellen is an executive coach specializing in leadership and career coaching. She is certified to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and is experienced in other assessments. She holds the highest level of certifications in human resource management and the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential from the ICF.  

Doug is the Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology (BSI) and leads its mission to support and transform immunology research to the benefit of human and animal health. Using the global reach of the BSI, they are building a best in class membership offer aimed at supporting research and immunologists at all stages of their career as well as leading national and international initiatives to create a thriving immunology research sector and ensure that research is translated into the clinic. Doug comes from an immunology background, having completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge in HIV research, followed by a postdoctoral position at NIMR, Mill Hill (now the Francis Crick Institute) on malaria and stem cells. He subsequently worked for the MS Society leading their biomedical research programme, followed by the Alzheimer’s Society where as Chief Policy and Research Officer, he led a number of high profile initiatives across research and policy including the establishment of the £300m UK Dementia Research Institute. He is a Trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

LinkedIn: doug-brown-679aa044/
Twitter: @dougbrown_1

Andy Burman is an experienced CEO, company director and charity trustee. Having led the British Dietetic Association to become a multi award winning association over the past 16 years, he is a governance and business development expert. He is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster and sits on several national committees and working groups which influence government policy. Through SEBCO Consulting he provides support and advice to the association sector. Using a variety of trusted consultants and experts he has assisted many associations to grow and develop through innovative approaches to change management.

Twitter: @BDAAndyBurman

Ruth was appointed Chief Executive of the LBMA in January 2014. She is responsible for the success and strategic development of the LBMA, in partnership with the Chairman and the Board. She is also responsible for maintaining accountability to and the quality of, the Association's Membership and Good Delivery Refiners as well as representing the interests of the Association in relation to regulators, investors, media and international precious metals markets.

Before being appointed Chief Executive, she spent seven years working in the Association, initially as Commercial Director and then as Deputy Chief Executive, where she acted as the main lead on Governmental Affairs. She was also responsible for the Association's work on supply chain due diligence, with particular regard to the creation and implementation of the LBMA’s Responsible Gold Guidance. She has represented the Association at industry, governmental and multi-stakeholder regulatory forums. She continues to serve as Vice Chair of the OECD Multi-Stakeholder Governance Group for Responsible Minerals. As Commercial Director, she oversaw the development of the LBMA Conference, the LBMA's quarterly publication the Alchemist and the LBMA website.

Prior to joining the LBMA, she worked in bank finance and US corporate law at the law firms of White & Case and Norton Rose, and also acted as a monitor at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. She has an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and a degree in English Literature from Kenyon College in Ohio.

Monica Fontana was born in the United States in 1965; she moved to Europe in 1970 and grew up in Parma (Italy). In 1991, while writing her university thesis, she started working for the ERA-EDTA, a charity based in England and Wales with more than 7,000 active members, various medical journals, a European registry and various working groups and committees supporting research and educational in nephrology. As the person in charge of the membership office, Monica was able to be aware of all the various activities of the Association, from the Registry activities (being also appointed at the financial manager of a EU funded project linked to the Registry), the fellowship initiatives, the research programmes, the educational courses. ERA-EDTA organizes the second largest annual nephrology Congress worldwide and Monica was actively involved in many of the activities done during the annual Congress especially linked to the various committees. From 1995 until 2016, working from home, she added many other tasks to her main duties: the bylaws, advisor to the President (and Council), advertising and public and international relations. In 2015, Monica became the Executive Manager of the ERA-EDTA thus managing all the international operative staff of the association. In 2018 Monica was appointed as ERA-EDTA Executive Director.

LinkedIn: monica-fontana-65316995/?originalSubdomain=it
Twitter: @monicafontana13

Strategic consultant to different international Federations and Associations.  Managing Director of Eucalyptus Global Vision. Lecturer in branding and corporate communication. University of Alicante. Spain.

Executive Master in International Association Management. Solvay Business School. Université libre de Bruxelles.  Executive Master in Leadership and Social Innovation in Non Profit Organizations. ESADE Business School. Barcelona.

More than 8 years experience in the professional body arena ranging from certification to member and corporate relations. Before that, 20 years experience in education and training ranging from accounting, business economics, financial management, computer literacy and a range of soft skills.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alastair-mccapra-96367a12
Twitter: @@CIPR_CEO

Steve Price is a Chartered Engineer with a business education from Cranfield and Oxford universities. After 20 years in the chemical industry building new plants and new businesses on three continents, he used the skills and networks he’d developed to create a unique not-for-profit industry association. 

Established in 2003 the European Institute for Industrial Leadership (EIIL) helps member companies in the process, plastics and engineering sectors, to research issues likely to affect their future leadership. This research feeds into programmes which help equip ‘next generation leaders’ with skills needed in their future workplace.

Steve has a passion for developing people and has contributed on this subject as an expert to the Consultative Committee for Industrial Change at the European Economic and Social Committee. For the last twelve years he has been a member of the Advisory Board of JADE the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises, was this year appointed to the Advisory Board of the World Council for Junior Enterprise, and is also engaged as a mentor to the Executive of the Erasmus Student Network.

Alex is the co-founder of Pixl8 Group - a London-based creative technical consultancy and digital products business with a wide reach into the membership sector.. Over the last 18 years, Alex’s vision to harness the potential of digital to solve complex business challenges has taken Pixl8 from a start-up with innovative ideas, to an established agency that consistently delivers above and beyond. His belief that clients should expect more underpins his commitment to understanding the business and technical needs of every organisation he works with and then solving the challenges intelligently. This approach has helped him to build trusted partnerships with over 100 clients across a broad range of membership bodies, associations, and charities.  Alex’s blend of strategic vision, technical expertise,and extensive industry experience means he is perfectly placed to lead on the creation of a diverse range of sophisticated technical products and solutions. 

Juanita is obsessed with organisational success in a fast-changing future. 

She is often called on for her expertise in matters relating to strategic stakeholder engagement and her knack for translating complex issues into easily relatable concepts.

These skills also come in very handy when she's on stage as professional conference speaker or masterclass facilitator on topics relating to "doing better business better".

As an “old millenial" Juanita has experienced the world of work both as how it used to be, as well as where it has shifted to. Therefore, in steering and managing her own company (www.atthatpoint.co.za), she draws inspiration from both those who remember the usual, and those that are creating the unusual.

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