26 July 2007
IABC Wellington officially opens for business
New Zealand’s first IABC chapter gets full status after just 6 months.
Last week, the new IABC Wellington Chapter celebrated its official launch in Wellington City.
IABC rules were amended for the first time in its 37-year history to charter Wellington as a full status chapter within 6 months.
New Zealand’s first International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) chapter was formally established in January 2007 and has already registered over 50 members, subsequently gaining full IABC chapter status in record time.
Unprecedented growth
Bish Mukherjee ABC (pictured in Figure 1, below), immediate past international
executive board director and Asia-Pacific director of IABC, officially
launched the Chapter: “I
was so impressed by the growth and professionalism of the Wellington
chapter that I tabled and piloted a motion at the International Board
of Directors meeting in New
Orleans in June, requesting that Wellington
be declared a full chapter without having to wait for the two-year
mandatory developmental stage.
“IABC rules were amended for the first time in its 37-year history to charter Wellington as a full status chapter within 6 months of its being commissioned as a developmental chapter. This is the first time it has happened to any IABC chapter.”
The launch event featured keynote speaker Lorri Lennon, an internationally recognized communications strategist, who spoke on “Change Management: 10 Tips to Supercharge your Communications”.
Figure 1. (from left to right): Linn Allan (account executive, Media Monitors New Zealand, principal sponsor of IABC Wellington), Brendan Swale (NZ general manager, Media Monitors New Zealand, principal sponsor of IABC Wellington), Bish Mukherjee ABC (immediate past international executive board director and Asia-Pacific director of IABC), Lucy Sanderson-Gammon (IABC Wellington chapter president), Adrian Cropley (IABC Victoria chapter president).
Regional chapters look to the future
Adrian
Cropley, president of IABC’s
Victoria Chapter in
Melbourne also spoke at the function, noting the professional development
opportunities that were being fostered between the two chapters.
“By working together and sharing speakers, it's going to be even easier for business communicators to get access to great speakers,” he said.
For more information on the chapter, contact communications director, Anna Kominik, or visit the IABC Wellington chapter group on The Communicators’ Network.
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