Transforming IBIA
Our regional boards will ensure that IBIA becomes both more international and has a more local reach
I am presently on my sixthyear as an IBIA board member and in my final year as Chairman, as my tenure ends on the 30th of April 2022.
When I joined the IBIA board it was with the ambition of evolving IBIA to become more international and with a stronger voice on behalf of our industry.
In my humble opinion, my mission has been accomplished.
One of the key projects that I have initiated during this time, is the launch of a new structure for IBIA with the intention of ensuring that IBIA has a stronger international reach and a more profound local commitment and understanding of the regional challenges in our industry.
With positive support from my fellow board members, we mutually agreed on the voyage towards creating a new structure that would change the IBIA structure from having one single global Board to a new world where the association has five regional boards consisting of IBIA members located in each region, as well as the global board. The chair of all five regional boards will by default have a seat and an equal mandate in the global board, ensuring that the voice of all regions will be represented at all times.
This work may on paper seem rather easy, but we have met and overcome many obstacles along the way and still expect a few more before the new structure will be solidly anchored and able to further strengthen IBIA’s global presence.
However, we are very well on our way. So far, we have established two of the five regional boards in Asia and Africa, and we expect to appoint the regional board for Americas within this year. The working group for establishing a regional board for the Middle East has also started working and all going well, we expect a proposal for that region in the early summer of 2022.
Secondly, our Legal Working Group has been working on the task to ensure a transparent, solid and fair election process for the future structure and the first proposal has just been received by the Board. We are in the process of reviewing this and consider it a key enabler for the new structure to become fully implemented.
All this work has required a strong and committed effort from not only the IBIA Board, but also from regional working groups, the appointed regional board members and last but not least the IBIA Legal Working group. I would like to thank you all for your commitment, for the time spent and your support to developing and growing IBIA.
On behalf of the Board, I can say that with this structure, we expect that IBIA will take a major step towards becoming both more international and have more local reach and understanding. Both are essential for better understanding the many challenges and changes that our industry is facing in regards to the complexity of the green transition.
As an IBIA member you have the chance to make a difference by engaging actively in IBIA’s work, either in one of our working groups, our regional boards or in our membership meetings, events, conferences or education that are all part of the offerings IBIA will continue to be based on. With a membership you also contribute to ensuring that we can engage IBIA members across continents, businesses, and with different points of view on the future and thereby create and prepare the platform for our industry to overcome the challenges ahead on our voyage towards a greener future.
Please check our webpage for further details of IBIA’s offerings, events and key projects. I hope to see as many of you as possible getting engaged in IBIA’s activities one way or another, as IBIA depends on strong member engagement and the support we get from you all.
Henrik Zerdekof
Chairman, IBIA