Associations World Congress

Judith was appointed the International Society of Blood Transfusion’s (ISBT) first Executive Director in 2008 and was the Society’s first staff member. The Society has grown to seven staff all working from its Central Office in Amsterdam. Judith has been involved with Associations for over twenty years serving as a Board member and then President of the British Blood Transfusion Society and as Board member and Vice President of ISBT. 

She is passionate about blood transfusion and as a medical scientist herself has been aware of the need for ISBT to embrace and grow its young scientists and doctors membership. In 2017 she persuaded the ISBT Board to establish a young professionals council with the remit to champion and engage young professionals within the Society and communicate with the Board to ensure that the needs of the young professionals community are met.  

As the Director of Strategic Partnerships, my key objective is to support ESE in its ambitions to advance endocrinology and the interests of its members and the patients it stands for. In my function the interaction and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders is a key element in developing and generating support for our offering to our members and stakeholders. This support also includes building a solid and sustainable financial basis that allows ESE to grow and fulfill its educational and clinical strategies and projects.

Paolo Falcioni has been APPLiA's Director General since January 2014. In this position he focused on improving the association visibility and effectiveness within Europe and internationally. To that extent, he has been one of the founders of the International Roundtable of Household Appliance Manufacturers Associations (IRHMA) which tackles world-wide issues like sustainability and innovation in a global manner. He served for three year as Chairman of the Coalition for Energy Savings, a multi-stakeholder group aiming at improving energy efficiency in Europe. 

He is one of the Board members in Smart Energy Europe, smartEn fostering demand side management to help consumers to reap the benefits of the new Energy market. In 2016 he has been nominated member of the REFIT platform as a representative of the stakeholder group. The REFIT Platform brings together the Commission, national authorities and other stakeholders in regular meetings to improve existing EU legislation.

Paolo graduated in electronic engineering from University of Ancona, in Italy. He started working in the telecommunication sector and, after that, he worked within the household appliance industry sector where he held positions with growing responsibilities. 

An Italian national, Paolo also speaks English and French fluently. In his free time, he likes baking homemade delicacies.

I have worked with ESE since its launch as an individual membership society in 2006, and since March 2016 as its Chief Executive Officer. In my role I have responsibility, in partnership with the ESE Executive Committee and the ESE Team, to progress ESE’s development and deliver on its vision and objectives. Together we aim to make a real positive difference to the world of endocrinology, and to support our members and the endocrine community to improve health and treatments through endocrine science. 

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LinkedIn: helen-gregson-a2a77925

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. 

Judith Liddell is Executive Director of The European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians, with 71 member associations representing over 35.000 dietitians and 9000 student dietitians in more than 30 countries.  Judith was Network Manager of the DIETS Thematic Networks 2006-2013.  She is registered to practice dietetics in UK & DE and has worked in public health promotion, research, private practice and industry.

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.

As an Executive Director, Caroline is responsible for the successful leadership and management of the 

International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP-IFP) according to the strategic direction, goals, mission. 

As Executive Director, Patrik has overall responsibility regarding management, planning and development of operations and capacity, while facilitating strategic development at IFPA, the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations. Patrik's background with NGOs and in the non-profit sector goes back over decades, having previously led and developed major networks and organizations in Sweden and internationally, including on EU level. Patrik finds inspiration in the important work of civil society organizations working for community well-being at scale.

Bernadette is a registered pharmacist with a doctoral degree and a passion for change. She has eight years of experience across community and clinical pharmacy, academia and in the pharmaceutical industry, where she has helped healthcare professionals keep up with a fast-moving medical landscape and get the best outcomes for patients. With a family history of diabetes and its complications, she is personally driven to make a difference for patients and their loved ones wherever they are in the world.

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

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.  

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.

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Twitter: @BDAAndyBurman

Inbar Caspi is association services and congress expert with more than 20 years of experience in consulting over 60 associations and managing more than 170 association congresses. She is the former Managing Director of Kenes UK. For the past 6 years, Inbar has been supporting Medical Associations that organise their congress in-house or wish to take more ownership on their key activity while reaching their goals for growth, profit, education and high level of service. In her new capacity, she has worked with and managed in-house the congresses of some of the largest associations in Europe such as the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), the European Pain Federation (EFIC), and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS).

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LinkedIn: inbar-caspi/

Warren Cass is one of those rare speakers that inspires, entertains and informs.

An entrepreneur with 25 years of running his own businesses, he has experienced huge success and tasted the bitter pill of failure. All of these lessons and stories are shared when he speaks.... Always from the heart!

Warren is straight talking with a no nonsense presentation style. His passion for business shows, especially when he talks about relationships, influence & marketing.

All of his talks contains ‘real life’ examples so his audiences can relate to the ideas that he shares and wherever possible he gets them involved with the content.

At heart Warren is a geek, someone who loves to figure out why and how things work, he firmly believes we live in times of significant change, and to stay ahead of the curve, we need to understand the game.

After completing a Bachelor degree from HEC Montreal and a Master degree from EMLyon Business school, Valentine began her career in event management in the hospitality industry and then worked for international organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She is currently working at the European Respiratory Society (ERS), mainly focusing on the ERS International Congress which brings together more than 20’000 participants and ERS Satellites, a recently awarded, innovative event.

Judith was appointed the International Society of Blood Transfusion’s (ISBT) first Executive Director in 2008 and was the Society’s first staff member. The Society has grown to seven staff all working from its Central Office in Amsterdam. Judith has been involved with Associations for over twenty years serving as a Board member and then President of the British Blood Transfusion Society and as Board member and Vice President of ISBT. 

She is passionate about blood transfusion and as a medical scientist herself has been aware of the need for ISBT to embrace and grow its young scientists and doctors membership. In 2017 she persuaded the ISBT Board to establish a young professionals council with the remit to champion and engage young professionals within the Society and communicate with the Board to ensure that the needs of the young professionals community are met.  

Michael Collins is a specialist providing consultancy and mentoring in data strategy and the use of marketing databases and CRM. He is a Chartered Marketer and a Fellow of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing and has taught database marketing and CRM at several London university business schools. 

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LinkedIn: micollins/?originalSubdomain=uk
Twitter: @dmcounsel

Rodney Cox is the Events Director for the International Gas Union (IGU).  Founded in 1931 the IGU represents more than 90% of the global gas market through it National Association membership. Rodney has over 20 years’ event management experience, across five continents; this includes trade exhibitions, conferences and consumer shows – mostly on behalf of industry associations. He previously served as Vice President of the Exhibition and Event Association of Australia (EEAA) and twice headed the Best Show Team winners at the EEAA Awards of Excellence, for the 16th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG 15 Algeria in 2010) and 26th World Gas Conference (WGC 2015 in France). For more than fifteen years Rodney has lectured at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Technology, Sydney.
 

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LinkedIn: rodneycoxeventinnovator/?originalSubdomain=au

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.

As the Director of Strategic Partnerships, my key objective is to support ESE in its ambitions to advance endocrinology and the interests of its members and the patients it stands for. In my function the interaction and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders is a key element in developing and generating support for our offering to our members and stakeholders. This support also includes building a solid and sustainable financial basis that allows ESE to grow and fulfill its educational and clinical strategies and projects.

Camilla is an award-winning communications, marketing and membership expert with over 13 years’ experience working in strategic membership and marketing roles within B2B and B2C associations across the sport, leisure and healthcare sectors.

In her current Head of Membership role as part of the senior management team at the British Dietetic Association (BDA), Camilla is responsible for having helped transform the organisation to become member-oriented. In doing so she has significantly grown annual member recruitment, retention, engagement and satisfaction rates, and delivered a successful CRM/CMS integration project.

She won Young Association Executive of the Year in 2017, and helped the BDA and her team win Member Engagement Award 2015, Best Social Media Campaign 2016 and 2018, and Best Member E-newsletter 2018.

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Twitter: @@MillyDurrant

Paolo Falcioni has been APPLiA's Director General since January 2014. In this position he focused on improving the association visibility and effectiveness within Europe and internationally. To that extent, he has been one of the founders of the International Roundtable of Household Appliance Manufacturers Associations (IRHMA) which tackles world-wide issues like sustainability and innovation in a global manner. He served for three year as Chairman of the Coalition for Energy Savings, a multi-stakeholder group aiming at improving energy efficiency in Europe. 

He is one of the Board members in Smart Energy Europe, smartEn fostering demand side management to help consumers to reap the benefits of the new Energy market. In 2016 he has been nominated member of the REFIT platform as a representative of the stakeholder group. The REFIT Platform brings together the Commission, national authorities and other stakeholders in regular meetings to improve existing EU legislation.

Paolo graduated in electronic engineering from University of Ancona, in Italy. He started working in the telecommunication sector and, after that, he worked within the household appliance industry sector where he held positions with growing responsibilities. 

An Italian national, Paolo also speaks English and French fluently. In his free time, he likes baking homemade delicacies.

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

As a UK national, I worked as a senior marketing professional (Chartered MCIM) for 15 years in the UK (with assignments across Europe and the US). I have worked with venture capitalists, not for profits and SMEs, in the technology education and training market – responsible for directing marketing strategy to implementing tactical marketing and communications plans – and everything in between.

In 2010 I had the work-life balance debate and decided, with my family, to make a move to the sunny idyll of the Ardèche Gorges in SE France and set up a business as a freelance marketer. Through my freelance work, I joined PWN Global to help support their community management and flesh out their communications strategy. The more I researched the gender balanced leadership debate, the more I realised that I wanted to make this client my full time job. I took on the role of Head of Global Marketing and Communications so that I could really focus on communicating to the world about the varied range of conscious and sub-conscious barriers that exist for female leaders. I am driven by knowing that I am improving the professional world for the next generation of female leaders.

Larry is a Senior marketing and development professional with over 20 years experience leading communications, fundraising, and brand positioning efforts for international corporate, non-profit and government organisations. Strong bias-to-action coupled with a dedication to data-driven decision making has led to a proven track record of creative problem solving and proven business results.

He recently joined The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Established almost 100 years ago, The Union is the first global public health organisation. Our mission is to end TB and improve lung health for people around the world.

Larry is passionate about community involvement, social marketing, and corporate social responsibility.

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.

Kathryn is the lead organiser of the #RSCPoster Twitter Conference, a unique online event which brings members of the scientific research community together to share their research, network and engage in scientific debate.

#RSCPoster is the largest online chemical sciences conference, and in its fifth year in 2019 Kathryn co-led this event to engage over 500 presenters, 3000 delegate participants and a total audience of over 2 million. With her leadership in developing, honing and implementing the event’s strategy, the 2020 iteration is set to break records once again, with particular focus on diversity.

Enthusiastic about encouraging communication and interaction with science in creative and comprehensive ways, following her degree specialising in chemistry, Kathryn joined Publishing Directorate of the Royal Society of Chemistry. She is currently the Development Editor for three academic journals has experience in working with research focused on sustainability, physical chemistry, energy and general chemistry.

Diana Ghazaryan is a young Marketing and Public Relations professional with a history of working in the capital market industry. Currently she is Marketing and PR Manager at Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges. 

Moreover, Ms. Ghazaryan has been involved in Sports Marketing since the beginning of 2018. She is Marketing Manager and Press Secretary of “Ararat-Armenia” Football Club, the champions of Armenian Premier League season 2018/19.

Jimena has over 10 years of experience working in Communications and European Affairs. Currently she works as Communications Director for the European Flavour Association, developing and implementing its communication strategy and acting as spokesperson of the association.

She previously worked as a Senior Communication Officer at the European Commission Information Service and at other European Associations and Institutions such as the Art Directors Club of Europe and the European Committee of the Regions.

I have worked with ESE since its launch as an individual membership society in 2006, and since March 2016 as its Chief Executive Officer. In my role I have responsibility, in partnership with the ESE Executive Committee and the ESE Team, to progress ESE’s development and deliver on its vision and objectives. Together we aim to make a real positive difference to the world of endocrinology, and to support our members and the endocrine community to improve health and treatments through endocrine science. 

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LinkedIn: helen-gregson-a2a77925

Clare Hodgson is head of professional development products at ACCA. Clare is responsible for ACCA’s global online CPD product offering, designed to support ACCA members enhance their careers by developing their skills and knowledge. Clare recently led the project team to launch ACCA’s mentoring programme.

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. They support 219,000 members and 527,000 students in 179 countries.

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. 

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.

Ian Jeal is Global Education and Qualification Standards Director at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; responsible for entry to the profession, including working with universities and education providers, competency frameworks, and assessments for professional qualification. He is currently studying for a Doctorate in Education and the University of Buckingham, looking at the role of professional qualifications, memberships, and regulation in the professions.

Charlotte Kemp, Futures Alchemist, is a professional speaker and a futurist. She serves on the Board of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa and has served on the Board of the Global Speakers Federation. Charlotte has written 3 books, contributed numerous media articles, appeared on radio and TV and hosted her own radio show and podcast as well as organised conferences and events for the 20 years that she has been speaking and training. 

As a futurist, Charlotte Kemp loves exploring the origin and natural destination of changes in business and society, as well as understanding to what extent we can influence the major themes in our lives.

Nika is an event geek with 15+ years of experience in events and hospitality industries. She has worked for a high end hotel group as Sales and Event Manager, before moving to a buyer side as Head of Events for WAGGGS (World Association of Girls Guides and Girl Scouts). Now she is working as Senior Conference Manager at FIGO (Federation of International Gynecology and Obstetrics). 

Nika is always looking into ways to improve event project management processes and to increase the impact of events for membership organisation.

Syeldy is a qualitative researcher doing her PhD at Sanquin, the Dutch national blood bank, on ‘Assessing the future demand of blood products and the organizational implications therein.’ She is also an active member of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), where she partakes in various Young Professionals activities. Syeldy is passionate about people, cultures, and organizational change.

Judith Liddell is Executive Director of The European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians, with 71 member associations representing over 35.000 dietitians and 9000 student dietitians in more than 30 countries.  Judith was Network Manager of the DIETS Thematic Networks 2006-2013.  She is registered to practice dietetics in UK & DE and has worked in public health promotion, research, private practice and industry.

Riad has over 20 years’ experience in developing content and producing conferences in the commercial and non-commercial sectors, both in the UK and in the Middle East. He has developed new conferences from scratch as well as managed and grown portfolios whilst increasing ROI. He is currently event portfolio development manager at the Institution of Engineering and Technology managing a range of events from technical call for papers conferences, to invite only events, to training courses, annual dinners and evening lectures.

At the Consortium, Rachel’s role is to be the voice of the member network at HQ. She looks after the member strategy and is the first point of call for member enquiries. Rachel also leads the ambassador programme for the Consortium, supporting our representatives all over the globe. 

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.

Miguel is an experienced event professional and passionate social media advocate who regularly speaks, consults, and trains teams on social media, digital marketing and event technology.

Miguel started his career as a planner and since 2009 he is focused on event technology and online communication. From 2011 to 2017 he played an important part in developing the IMEX Group’s digital content and social media presence. Since 2017 Miguel has worked independently helping organisations to develop social media and digital communication strategies.

Miguel holds a masters degree in Conference and Events Management from the University of Westminster and is certified as a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and a Digital Event Strategist (DES). He sits on the International Board of Directors of Meeting Professionals International and is past-Chair of Events Industry Council’s Industry Insights Committee.

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Twitter: @miguelseven

Chiara is currently Senior Lecturer in Events at the University of Westminster where she takes part in the delivery of postgraduate and undergraduate courses and research supervision. She is also involved in programme management and international activities. Before becoming an academic around 12 years ago, Chiara lived in several countries in Europe and Asia working in the private sector first, and then in research and in conference management with the United Nations and the European Science Foundation. Chiara has an MSc in International Conference Management and is currently studying for her PhD with the Institute of Design Innovation at Loughborough University London. Her research interests are on the role of events as platforms for stakeholder value co-creation, event strategy and experience design.  

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.

Linda is passionate about associations and is particularly active in the professional associations in her own field.  She is also a consultant to a variety of associations. In 2008 she was considered one of Portugal’s five most influential people in the conference & events industry and received the education award from IAHMP. Respected internationally as a speaker she has lectured in countries such as Italy, Spain, Russia, Egypt, Cape Verde, United Kingdom, Dubai, Spain and The Netherlands. In 2009 she received the medal of honour for positive entrepreneurship in Portugal for her commitment to promoting culture and heritage and for CSR initiatives.

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.

Valli is the founder and managing director of Digital Learn Ltd, an eLearning company specialising in workplace focussed learning solutions. While working at ACCA as Head of Learning Innovation, she created and deployed multi award-winning digital learning solutions for a global audience, and she continues to work with ACCA on many of their online learning solutions. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and of the Learning and Performance Institute and has a Masters in Education and Technology from UCL Institute of Education. 

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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/valli-rajagopal/
Twitter: @@ValliRajagopal

Maya is a professional fundraiser raising financial support for medical congresses from the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. In the course of her work Maya initiates and implements new fundraising strategies and establishes long term agreements between associations and potential sponsors.

Over the last decade Maya managed to raise around 6 million Euro/year and increase revenue in a sustainable way.

Maya is a certified lawyer who specialized in private and public international law before specializing as a professional fundraiser.

For more than 12 years, Maya has worked in the PCO's (Professional Congress Organiser) sector pioneering fundraising techniques and strategies.

In 2006 Maya joined Kenes International as the Director of the Sponsorship and Exhibition Sales Department. Maya has managed a team of 10 fundraisers and was responsible for servicing more than 30 associations each year.

Maya’s passion for her job is fueled by her desire to assist associations in reaching their targets and achieve their objectives.

Over the past few years Maya acquired extensive knowledge in pharma/medical devices Industries regulations and she is actively involved in different professional forums.

The strategies Maya develops continuously evolve in alliance with the challenging regulatory environment that we all witness over the past few years.

Lorraine is the Head of Conferences and Events at the Biochemical Society, developing and leading the Conference and Events team and ensuring that its activities are aligned with the organisation’s strategy. She began her career at a corporate events management agency but has spent most of the last 20 years working for a range of prestigious associations and learned societies. Lorraine’s first major event was during the final year of a Maths and Computer Science degree at the University of York, when she co-organised the 13th British Juggling Convention, a four-day festival for over 1,000 people. 

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Twitter: @LorraineMReese

Brenda Sanderson is an association executive and designer living and working in Montréal. She is Executive Director of IxDA, the global network dedicated to the professional practice of Interaction Design and was previously Managing Director of Icograda. Through her responsibilities at Icograda and her current position, she has worked in more than 25 countries—bridging cultures, language and timezones to use design for progressive change since 2005.

As IxDA's Executive Director, Brenda leads distributed, virtual teams who organize two annual international meetings for 1500+ attendees - Interaction Week and Interaction Latin America. Other programs include the annual Interaction Awards, IxDA Design Education Summit, and IxDA Student Design Charette. 

From 1994-2005, Brenda held successively more responsible creative positions in the publishing and advertising sectors. Her work for Nova Scotia Tourism was twice awarded the Canadian Advertising Campaign of the Year and she received the Kenneth R Wilson award from the Canadian Business Press. A highlight was designing Canada's identity for Expo 2000.

Brenda has served on numerous volunteer boards, including the Data Interoperability Standards Consortium, the Ottawa Tourism Client Advisory Board, and the National Council of the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC). She is an Ambassador for INDIGO, the International Indigenous Design Network, and a member of the Mandela Poster Project Collective (MPPC). 

Brenda is a CGD certified member of the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC).

Carole’s credibility is rooted in twenty years’ success as CEO and Founder of the Carole Spiers Group.

In I998, Carole launched Stress Awareness Day on behalf of the International Stress Management Association of which she is the current Chair. She is also a Fellow and past President of the Professional Speaking Association [London].

Carole is recognised as a leading authority on wellbeing and stress at work and is the media’s first choice for comment on workplace issues and best-selling author of Tolleys ‘Managing Stress in the Workplace’ and ‘Show Stress Who’s Boss!’

Carole’s charismatic style of combining inspiration with insight has made her a sought-after international keynote speaker working with equal success in the contrasting cultures of the UK and the Gulf region.

I look after the leadership activities for the AAE. This involves chairing the Leaders Forums at the UK and the World Associations Congresses, as well the Leaders Summits and identifying other opportunities to support association leaders, for example new programmes and forums to bring Executive Heads together. 

I have been working on the AAE leaders events for eight years, contributed to the leadership aspects of all AAE's activities, and have an Executive Masters in International Association Management from Solvay Business School, Brussels.

Get in touch if you would like to hear more about our leadership activities at AAE or if you would like me to put you in touch with a trusted advisor or another executive director with experience of a particular issue. 

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

Greg is an association executive with over 10-years of experience leading business development and strategic outreach in the non-profit sector. Working for international organisations and associations, he has been responsible for marketing, branding and communications as well as partner and member engagement. In his past responsibilities, he has helped secure and retain income in the form of sponsorship, membership and event registration working in a diversity of locations including Ethiopia, China, France and Malaysia.

I started my professional career in Financial Services and private equity, working in London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Lyon. 

After 10+ years in the financial world I made a big lifestyle change and relocated to the Côte d'Azur where I initially took some time-out to be a full-time mum and then owned and managed a small company in the electronics industry. My desire to mix with other like-minded women led me to join PWN Global as a member and I really appreciated the exchanges, learning and support this brought me during these exciting and challenging years. After stopping the business, I moved again to Lyon and joined the staff of PWN Global initially as Community Manager, moving on to focusing on the membership experience. 

I am now based in Zurich, where I continue to work for the network. I am passionate about working with PWN Global Volunteers and Members to promote our mission and vision and making my contribution to a more gender balanced leadership for the next generation.

Joseph is Program Director for the AVIXA Foundation, charitable arm of AVIXA, the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry. He oversees all efforts devoted to creating opportunities for tomorrow’s AV professionals. He manages the Foundation’s workforce development programs, and partnerships with schools and allied organizations. He also spearheads the many annual scholarship and grants awarded to students and community groups striving for success in the industry. He recently launched a global campaign to raise awareness of AV careers, bring skills training to more communities, and connect people to their first AV job. 

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.

As Executive Director, Patrik has overall responsibility regarding management, planning and development of operations and capacity, while facilitating strategic development at IFPA, the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations. Patrik's background with NGOs and in the non-profit sector goes back over decades, having previously led and developed major networks and organizations in Sweden and internationally, including on EU level. Patrik finds inspiration in the important work of civil society organizations working for community well-being at scale.

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.

As Head of Advertising and Sponsorship, Andrew is responsible for the creation and continuing implementation of the association’s sponsorship policy and guidelines covering all commercial activity. In addition, he oversees the association’s global sponsorship, advertising and business development programmes, including the IBA’s Annual Conference in Seoul, 60+ global specialist conferences, print and online advertisement sales and the creation and implementation of a global programme aimed at helping members get the most from their membership.

Prior to joining the IBA in 2005, Andrew started out as a Voice and Speech teacher at Mountview Theatre School before moving into sales in outdoor advertising, publications and IT sales.

Kimbeley is the Head of Congress & Corporate Relations, she manages with the teams for the EADV’s annual congress and symposium. She is very passionate about developing new collaborations and strategies to fund the events and strongly believes that collaboration between the Academy and the sponsors is key to face the constantly changing legal environment.

Kimberley has changed the approach to sponsors and sponsorship in general in the Academy and contributed to creating long-lasting collaborative partnerships with sponsors while increasing the investments. This relationships goes beyond the events and ensures effective collaboration for the EADV’s activities all year round, supporting the education of European and International Dermatologist and improving patients’ lives. She currently oversees a portfolio of over 230 active corporate partners.