FROM THE CHAIR
3
Dear Members,
It is an unusually crowded time of the year for your Forum, coming as we are off the back of another successful AGM, which witnessed the election of Rose Dyson to your Board and some significant changes at the Executive level too. I am pleased to announce that in addition to the board reelecting me as their Chair:
-Brendan Cullen is the Deputy Chair
-Gary Long continues in his long term and important role as itSMFA Treasurer
-Aprill Allen is our Company Secretary, and
-Kathryn Howard is the Conference Director for next year.
This is a great team, one in which the Members, and the wider industry can place considerable faith that they and their colleagues on the Board will continue to drive this organisation forward against a backdrop of change, and dare I say it, disruption.
I should mention that I was particularly pleased with how the AGM unfolded. Participation levels were good and engagement was also excellent. The AGM is our primary venue to be both transparent and accountable with our members so thank-you to everyone who dialled in and made this important milestone in our organisation’s annual calendar a success.
Conference
The itSMF Australia National Conference is again coming close and sponsorship is open. The prospectus is available on the website and interested parties should reach out to Alison at the National Office as well. Please recommend the opportunity to your suppliers and let them know that you will be there.
There are still a few spots available on our ‘Startup Lane’. We are running this again following on from our success last year in Melbourne. This is a terrific opportunity for innovative new businesses to get their name, and services in front of an engaged and intelligent crowd. The last year's startups all commented on how welcome they felt and the quality of the feedback they received.
I should point out that our famous ‘Early Bird Offer’ for Conference registrations is closing soon – better get your skates on if you intend taking advantage of this significant discount.
And finally, our program of speakers will be finalised later this month. I can’t wait for the Conference Committee’s announcement of the final program.
The Year Ahead
Over the coming 12 months, the Exec and Board are wanting to focus on connections and member value; Conference, our terrific Seminar program and ITIL online are still a significant focus. But we want to tease out some of the less obvious ones too, the very real sense of mutual engagement and the informal ‘feedback loops’ which characterise our many social interactions.
As well the Forum will continue to look forward to further developments in SM: VerISM is one that comes to mind, but SIAM too and ITIL which underpins so much of our work and is about to undergo a significant overhaul.
These are exciting times.
Enjoy the magazine!
Warm regards,
Bradley Busch
Chair - itSMF Australia