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International President's Corner From Derek Osborn, International President When I was being nominated as International President Elect, early in 2006, I wrote this: "I see great potential for the Association and the enormous impact it could have around the world for companies and organisations but ultimately in a very positive and practical way for many individuals � so as to make a real difference to people's lives. My vision is for the association to be the platform which enables career professionals to be visible, acknowledged and accessible in all the world's boardrooms and thoroughfares, to be able to support, inform, engage and advise, so that more people can be more fulfilled at work, and supported in times of change or transition � and more purposeful in their lives as a whole. As professionals we have often waited for clients to find us � I think we should be bold and go out to tell people what we can offer and what difference it can make, be they corporate leaders, HR professionals, or any organisation or individual. We must work hard to raise our profile and get career issues onto the agenda. From my first involvement with the Association in 2000 I have benefited enormously from the six international conferences that I have participated in, both for my own professional development but also to widen my vision and experience, working internationally and across different cultures. As I take over the role of International President I have just returned from traveling extensively around the Asia-Pacific region, meeting many career professionals in different countries. This has reinforced my belief that our Association has enormous potential to span the globe and live up to the claim we have to be The World's Voice on Career Issues. At the same time there are enormous problems and opportunities in the world, where career professionals can make a real impact � in some places like India and other parts of Asia, the context is very different from what we are familiar with in Europe and North America. For this reason, I would like to see a widely inclusive association that has representation from right around the world but also embraces the many diverse contexts in which career professionals operate and provides a globally accessible platform for professional development and international reference point for all career professionals. This may sound ambitious but, if we are to make a difference, then we need to be relevant and accessible to individuals, organizations and Governments alike, using our professional skills to be The World's Voice on Career Issues. Derek Osborn, |
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