With member voting for the AMI Board now underway, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the journey taken by the current Board over the past couple of years.
When the Board came together almost two years ago, the Board and Management set about steering the AMI on a course to recovery.
This started with an understanding that the strength of any professional body is based on two key factors: relevance and value. That is, how relevant is what the AMI provides to its members (and the wider professional marketing fraternity, for that matter) and how do the members value what the AMI provides.
Research conducted amongst AMI members clearly showed that they wanted the AMI to help them to fuel their careers through access to education, training, professional standards and accreditation supporting them across each stage in their career path.
Relevancy and value aside, the other challenge is to remain financially viable to support the delivery of valued benefits to members.
So, how has the Board and Management performed?
Under a united and focused Board and Management, we have made steady progress on the journey to resilience. Some of the highlights include:
- A clear strategy is in place which has seen a significant financial turnaround for the AMI, delivering a modest operating profit in FY17
- Over 3300 new Members
- Over 600 new Certified Practising Marketers
- 40 Accredited University Degrees
- Over 55,000 marketing professionals in the broader AMI Community
- Over 60 new Partners supporting the organisation
- An exciting new marketing training program
- Networking with global thought leaders at Events
- Doubling the size of the Annual AMI Awards for Excellence program; indeed last year’s Awards night was by far the biggest ever
- 150 Volunteers supporting the thriving organisation (across the nation)
- Importantly, member research tells us that past perceptions around the AMI ‘not moving with the times’ is changing for the better.
The Board and Management are mindful that there is a lot more to do, but the pathway we are on has proven to be sound and has resonated with our members. This is evidenced by a significantly improved NPS score from -37 in February 2016, to +27 in June 2017!
Incoming Board members need to not only be mindful of their fiduciary responsibilities as a director but also their responsibility to continue the journey that that AMI has been on these past few years. Stability and consistency of Board and Management are important hallmarks on this road to resilience.
Andrew Thornton, Chair, AMI Board of Directors
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