Associations World Congress & Expo

Chloé has 15 years’ experience of working in the Associations Industry, providing leadership across all areas of Association management & operations, membership, stakeholder engagement, communications and marketing. She has various leadership positions on Boards, advisory bodies and expert committees, where she has demonstrated effective experience in strategic planning and implementation.

Chloé worked at the International Water Association from 2005 to 2018 where she was responsible for developing and executing a global growth and engagement strategy for a network of +60K members including national members, corporates, universities and individuals. Her professional experience includes international management and leadership, membership management, membership retention & growth, change management, strategic planning, organisational communications, digital engagement, awards & events management, sponsorship and partnership development, committee management, programme development, internal communications and brand management.

As a globally recognised thought leader in the Association sector, Chloé is a regular speaker on issues pertaining to Membership, Communications and Digitalisation at many industry events and also regularly contributes to industry magazines on issues ranging from Communicating Brand Value to Association Impact & Legacy.

She is a nominated Active Member of the Union of International Associations (UIA) and a Board Member of the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE) where she also chairs the Communications & Membership committee.

Mary Ellen Brennan, SPHR, SHRM-SCP has 20 years' experience in human resources in professional associations and law firms.  Her areas of expertise include executive and leadership coaching, workforce planning, organizational culture, performance management, and work/life programs such as telework, recruiting, and project management.  She facilitates and leads personal and professional development training, as well as strategic planning and team-building retreats. She managed the development of AIHA'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 has coached association members on resume writing, interviewing, and job search skills.  A graduate of the UMUC MBA program, Mary Ellen has continued her learning by obtaining certification in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, as well as training in Lean Six Sigma, advanced facilitation skills and project management. She holds the highest level of certifications in human resource management.  

I’m responsible for the strategy and operational management of the Association of Association Executives, with all members of the team reporting to me. With the advice of members, Advisory Panel members, and the team, I decide what new products and services to offer, and how they should be fulfilled.

I have over 35 years experience in conferences and events, with 21 specifically supporting associations with their events, publishing, member engagement, and association management. I have headed up the AAE since its beginnings in 2006.

I would love to hear about what you feel we ought to be doing to support you as association executives, and how we can improve our current offering. If you have something to contribute, please get in touch with me.

Chloé has 15 years’ experience of working in the Associations Industry, providing leadership across all areas of Association management & operations, membership, stakeholder engagement, communications and marketing. She has various leadership positions on Boards, advisory bodies and expert committees, where she has demonstrated effective experience in strategic planning and implementation.

Chloé worked at the International Water Association from 2005 to 2018 where she was responsible for developing and executing a global growth and engagement strategy for a network of +60K members including national members, corporates, universities and individuals. Her professional experience includes international management and leadership, membership management, membership retention & growth, change management, strategic planning, organisational communications, digital engagement, awards & events management, sponsorship and partnership development, committee management, programme development, internal communications and brand management.

As a globally recognised thought leader in the Association sector, Chloé is a regular speaker on issues pertaining to Membership, Communications and Digitalisation at many industry events and also regularly contributes to industry magazines on issues ranging from Communicating Brand Value to Association Impact & Legacy.

She is a nominated Active Member of the Union of International Associations (UIA) and a Board Member of the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE) where she also chairs the Communications & Membership committee.

Inge Wallage is a change maker and senior communications leader who pursued a career in the private sector before making the leap from the oil industry to environmental campaigning. That move sustained her continuous drive to contribute to a better world; a green and peaceful one. She believes in the pivotal role of the communications function. In her 25 years of working life Inge has worked across all areas of communications and has witnessed its ongoing evolution. She held various in-house and agency roles, like the International Water Association, Greenpeace International, Statoil, Philips Electronics, Motorola and Burson-Marsteller. Inge works with the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) in a consulting capacity as part-time Managing Director to contribute to the association’s next phase. She has lived in London, Norway and Bangkok. She believes that projects and programmes will truly come to life when working with people, inside and outside a company or organisation. She is trained in the method and philosophy of Deep Democracy, which aims to get everyone involved (‘listen to the minority’) and to find ways to turn resistance into a force for good. Inge advocates to work according to ‘The 3As engagement strategy’, a concept which she conceived which stands for authenticity, accountability and audacity; three elements critical to any organisational or business strategy. She is currently writing her first novel.

Helen is leading CANSO’s membership, sales, and marketing activities. This includes ensuring Members get value from their membership, and developing and implementing the CANSO business development strategy. Helen has 25 years experience in Sales and Marketing, over 18 years experience with International organisations and over 10 years working with Associations.

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.

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 guideline body, a European registry and various working groups and committees. 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 and the CEO of a limited company owned by ERA-EDTA that organizes medical events, thus managing all the international operative staff of the association. In 2018 Monica was appointed as ERA-EDTA Executive Director.

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

Lynsey is CEO of International Digital Agency SocialB. With over 18 years’ experience, Lynsey and her team specialise in providing digital marketing training and services to organisations and Associations around the globe including Prime Global, Central Dredging Association, National Farmers Union, the ACCA to name just a few. Their client base spans far and wide including countries such as Oman, the USA, Mauritius, Jordan, Singapore. Lynsey is called upon for industry insights and comment by the media including CNBC, The Guardian, BBC News & Bloomberg as well as talking at international conferences on a regular basis.

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Twitter: @lynseysweales

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.

For the last 15 years, Guy has been delivering award-winning consulting services focused on helping cities, governments, corporations and associations step up, scale up and speed up their sustainability programmes and smart event practices. He is a recognised expert on creating association and corporate sustainability programmes through multi stakeholder collaboration and co-creation. In 2015 Guy launched the Global Destinations Sustainability Index to accelerate the development and performance of sustainable business tourism destinations. Today over 50 cities are participating in the www.gds-index.com 

From 2006 to 2018, Guy was the Sustainability Director of MCI where he launched and managed a CSR program that positioned MCI to be an award winning sustainability champion, and the organiser of over 1000 events about sustainable development, Smart Cities and energy. Guy is a passionate and outstanding communicator, who has delivered over 300 keynote presentations and facilitated workshops engaging over 35,000 participants in more than 40 countries. Guy’s pioneering work has been recognised with 21 sustainability awards including the Events Industry Council Pacesetter Award.

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LinkedIn: guybigwood

Lynsey is CEO of International Digital Agency SocialB. With over 18 years’ experience, Lynsey and her team specialise in providing digital marketing training and services to organisations and Associations around the globe including Prime Global, Central Dredging Association, National Farmers Union, the ACCA to name just a few. Their client base spans far and wide including countries such as Oman, the USA, Mauritius, Jordan, Singapore. Lynsey is called upon for industry insights and comment by the media including CNBC, The Guardian, BBC News & Bloomberg as well as talking at international conferences on a regular basis.

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Twitter: @lynseysweales

As a Deputy Secretary General of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock exchanges, Armenuhy is managing the international organization of capital market participants including but not limited by Stock Exchanges, Central Depositories, International Financial Institutions and related associations from more than 20 countries covering the region of Europe, Asia and Mediterranean basin.

Started as an intern at Armenian Stock Exchange later Nasdaq OMX Armenia, Armenuhy went through the ladder from trading system administrator to Business Development Manager and changed the role into a Deputy Secretary General of FEAS. Armenuhy has more than 15 years’ experience in exchange trading and settlement of various markets: equities, bonds, foreign currencies, including trade system administration and support as well as new products development and launch. 

Coming from mostly stock exchange environment, Armenuhy is enjoying the management of the multi-cultural organization by overcoming cross-cultural differences and making them work more efficient and productive. 

She is currently a PMP certified project manager and the member of Project Management Institute. Armenuhy is fluent in 3 languages - Armenian, English, Russian and in constant learning of new one, currently: Arabic. 

Inge Wallage is a change maker and senior communications leader who pursued a career in the private sector before making the leap from the oil industry to environmental campaigning. That move sustained her continuous drive to contribute to a better world; a green and peaceful one. She believes in the pivotal role of the communications function. In her 25 years of working life Inge has worked across all areas of communications and has witnessed its ongoing evolution. She held various in-house and agency roles, like the International Water Association, Greenpeace International, Statoil, Philips Electronics, Motorola and Burson-Marsteller. Inge works with the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) in a consulting capacity as part-time Managing Director to contribute to the association’s next phase. She has lived in London, Norway and Bangkok. She believes that projects and programmes will truly come to life when working with people, inside and outside a company or organisation. She is trained in the method and philosophy of Deep Democracy, which aims to get everyone involved (‘listen to the minority’) and to find ways to turn resistance into a force for good. Inge advocates to work according to ‘The 3As engagement strategy’, a concept which she conceived which stands for authenticity, accountability and audacity; three elements critical to any organisational or business strategy. She is currently writing her first novel.

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.

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.

I’m responsible for the strategy and operational management of the Association of Association Executives, with all members of the team reporting to me. With the advice of members, Advisory Panel members, and the team, I decide what new products and services to offer, and how they should be fulfilled.

I have over 35 years experience in conferences and events, with 21 specifically supporting associations with their events, publishing, member engagement, and association management. I have headed up the AAE since its beginnings in 2006.

I would love to hear about what you feel we ought to be doing to support you as association executives, and how we can improve our current offering. If you have something to contribute, please get in touch with me.