Message from the President | IABC Saskatoon 2018-19 Annual Report

Friends,

If you don’t want to read this entire message, then let me summarize it by saying this: I love IABC. And I love IABC Saskatoon.

Now let’s get on with my report.

I’ll admit, it’s hard for me to truly capture the amazing year we’ve had as a chapter. An annual report can only tell you so much, because in so many cases, you just had to be there. However, we will do our best to razzle and dazzle you within these pages!

We’ve now completed our second year of our three-year strategy. We’ve maintained a resolute focus on our vision of professional communicators at the heart of every organization, which is fulfilled by our purpose to advance the profession, create connection, and develop strategic communicators.

Advance the Profession

This year we’ve really focused on sharing stories about professional communicators, and we will continue to do that. These stories help people understand what professional communicators do, but the next step is getting these stories into the hands of decision makers. As your professional association, we’re called to be almost evangelical about the profession, and we will continue to do that as we roll into year three of our strategy. This year, we also conducted another Communication Management Professional (CMP) exam and had two people successfully receive their CMP certification. Certification is the gold standard for professional communicators – and the more people that write this exam, the more we are able to advance the profession.

Create Connection

In 2018 – 2019 we relentlessly provided opportunities for our members to connect. This was done through professional development events, the mentorship program, and now the newly launched special interest groups. Being a member of IABC means you belong in our community, and we will do what we can to facilitate those connections.

Develop Strategic Communicators

As your leading professional association for business communicators, it’s a fundamental part of our work to ensure you stay on top of the latest trends through regular professional development programming.

We executed on this third priority by providing plenty of volunteer opportunities to our members, through professional development, and the launch of our very first, outrageously successful, all-day CommuniCon held in October 2018.

Our board is committed to delivering on these three pillars as we move into 2019-2020. However, the people responsible for delivering on this strategy around the board table are changing. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the people who are leaving IABC Saskatoon (for now): Dan Gold, Andrea Lauder, Tracy Laschilier, Khusbu Shrestha, Veronique Loewen, and Colin McHattie. I would also like to say farewell to one of our key volunteers, Cat Bonner, who was instrumental in executing our social media activity this past year.

In closing, I want to extend a huge thank you to you, our amazing members, adherents, and the extended IABC family for your support during my time as Vice President and President of the chapter. I have been so honoured to serve the chapter in this capacity. My only wish is that I had more time to continue shaping this community – but alas we have an amazing new group of leaders joining our board who will take this chapter beyond what ever I could’ve imagined.

So let me say it again, I love IABC. And I love IABC Saskatoon.

Sincerely,

Ben Borne, CMP President, IABC Saskatoon

Click here to download a pdf of IABC Saskatoon’s 2018-19 annual report

  • August 1, 2019 By iabcsaskatoon