IPMA Elect New Executive Board

Reported by Miles Shepherd in London

Delegates from 44 National Project Management Associations elected a new Executive Board at the International Project Management Associations Council of Delegates meeting held in Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday 27 September. IPMA's Executive Board is elected biannually to serve for a two year term in office. The Council also elects its new President and Chairman at the same time.

Vice Presidents Henrik Jonsson (Sweden) who had covered Marketing, Mary McKinlay (UK) covering Membership and Brigette Schaden (Austria) covering Certification all stood down at the election. Vice Presidents Nino Grau (Germany) Standards, Prof Qian Fupei (PR China) Research and Mladen Radujkovic (Croatia) were re-elected for a second term and will be joined in January by Roberto Mori (Italy), Alexandre Tovb (Russia) and Rudd Bolsius (Netherlands). Specific areas of responsibility are allocated at the President’s first ExBo Meeting, expected to take place in Rome during the World Congress.

Operating Board Chairmen were also elected with Mary Koutintcheva retaining her position as Chair of the Awards Board. Prof Brane Semolic (Slovenia) gained a second term at the Research desk and Constanta Bodea (Romania) retained the chair for Education.

Current auditor Daniel Baumann (Switzerland) will be joined by PM Forum Correspondent David Shannon (UK).

All terms of office commence in January 2009 and are due to terminate at the end of 2010.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is an international federation of more than 45 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

IPMA meets IPMA in Copenhagen! Iranian PM Association
welcomed into IPMA

Reported by Miles Shepherd in London

At its Council of Delegates Meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) welcomed the Iran Project Management Association (also IPMA) to full membership.

After two years as Transitional Member of IPMA, the Iranian Association demonstrated that it has achieved the necessary growth and professional standards required and has fulfilled its promises. The latest full Member Association joins 44 other National Project Management Associations from around the world.

IPMA President Veikko Välilä welcomed the Iranian Project Management Association spokesman Alex Jalalian in the first motion of a busy Council meeting (see full report). Jalalian cast his nation’s first votes just minutes after their election, and stated that he and his colleagues have been working for several years to achieve this result.

The Iranian Association has held two National Congresses and has an active certification programme.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is an international federation of more than 45 national PM societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Local societies serve each country in its national language. IPMA provides an umbrella organization at the international level. Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

New Cyprus Project Management Society gains
Transitional Member Status with IPMA

The Cyprus Project Management Society (CPMS) was established as a non-profit organization in February 2008. As of September 2008, after a two year effort and close collaboration with the International Project Management Association (IPMA), the application of the CPMS to join the IPMA family has been accepted. The CPMS was awarded transitional national member status at the meeting of the IPMA’s Council of Delegates held in Copenhagen, Denmark in late September.

According to the CPMS website, “Joining an international project management organization was one of the Society’s primary objectives and the founding members were intensively working towards that direction from the very beginning.” So this is a big milestone for CPMS. As a national member association, the CPMS will be representing the IPMA in Cyprus and will be promoting its activities, its project management standards and techniques and its world leading professional project management certification.

The Society was established by a team of experienced professionals who identified the emerging importance of the project management discipline as well as the absence of and the need for a project management body in Cyprus.

The vision of the CPMS is to bring benefits to organizations, businesses and professionals in Cyprus, through the establishment of a professional project management culture, the introduction of project management standards, techniques and tools and the certification of experienced professionals with internationally accredited qualifications.

The Society’s primary objectives are:

• to introduce and promote international project management standards,

• to help institutionalize and advance the project management profession in Cyprus,

• to enable and support its members to obtain international project management certifications,

• to disseminate and promote project management research and knowledge,

• to promote networking between professionals in Cyprus and abroad.

The CPMS is governed by a five member Board of Directors and membership is open to all professionals who meet the requirements defined in the Society’s Articles of Association, related primarily to a candidate’s academic background

and professional experience. Candidates can apply for two types of membership, Full Membership and Associated Membership.

Interested individuals can complete an online application form and submit their signed application and all mandatory certificates either by e-mail or by postal mail. For more information, visit http://www.cpms.org.cy/ or contact the CPMS directly at info@cpms.org.cy.

Finalist for IPMA Project Excellence Awards 2008 Announced,
including 1st Russian Candidate

Reported by Alexander Tovb in Moscow

The list of IPMA PE Award Finalists announced!

The second Jury meeting for the IPMA International Project Excellence Award 2008 took place on 4^th of October in Zurich. The International Jury which was led by Mrs. Mary McKinlay, IPMA Vice President, consisted of Project Management experts and previous IPMA Award Winners, made the final decision.

The Jury chose the finalists, among which the winners will be granted during the Award Gala Dinner on 10^th of November at 22^nd IPMA World Congress in Rome. The Finalists will present their application project and organization during the presentation in the morning on 11^th November 2008 in Rome.

This year the Finalists come from two continents, 6 countries and 9 companies / project teams:

*in alphabetical order

Jury Members include:

• Mrs. Mary McKinlay- IPMA Vice President, PE Award Trainer, UK

• Mrs. Maria Koutintchewa- Award Winner 2003, Switzerland

• Mr. Stanislaw Sroka- Prize Winner 2002 and 2004, Poland

• Mr. Thor Möller - PE Award Trainer, Germany

• Mr. Frank Menter - PM expert, Germany

• Mrs. Constanta Bodea- PM of Romanian National PE Award, Romania

Our congratulations to management and staff of Interregional Distributive Grid Company of Center (IDGC of Center) for this significant professional achievement – the first time a Russian Company has participated in the IPMA PE Awards and first time achieved the level of finalist and continue competing for Award Prize and Award Winner!

It is a the great achievement not only of this very company and also for all Russian professional Project Management community, it is very important for future development and promotion of PM in Russia and all post Soviet countries in Europe and Asia.

The structure of Open Joint-Stock Company «Interregional Distribution Grid Company of Center» (http://www.mrsk-1.ru/) includes the following branches: Belgorodenergo, Bryanskenergo, Voronezhenergo, Kurskenergo, Kostromaenergo, Lipetskenergo, Tverenergo, Smolenskenergo, Orelenergo, Tambovenergo, and Yarenergo. The operational area of IDGC of Center is comparable with territories of such countries as Sweden and Spain, and the population of area is comparable with the Netherlands one.

Authorized capital of IDGC of Centre as of 1 September 2008 equals RUR 4,221,794,146.80, (about 1,7 Billons USD) and it is divided into 42,217,941,468 pieces of ordinary registered shares with a par value of 10 (ten) kopecks each.

Electric systems of the Company of over 377, 539.6 km total length are located on the territory of 459.8 thousand sq. km in 11 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Activities on transmission and distribution of the electric power and connection of clients to the electric networks of 0.4 - 110 kV voltage are provided by 11 network branches of the company.

Industrial potential of IDGC of Center is 2,308 substations of 35-110 kV for the total capacity of 30,366.3 MVA and 85,097 substations of 6-10 kV for the total capacity above 14,227 MVA.

The establishment of IDGC of Center in December 2004 was an integral part of the approved reform plan of the Russian electric power industry which provides interregional integration of newly created enterprises after division of the power companies by kinds of business. Formation of the target structure of IDGC of Center was completed by consolidation of 11 distribution grid companies with IDGC of Center in the form of branches, and transition to the unified share.

IDGC of Center for its short three-year history managed to demonstrate efficiency of the activity, high level of management, transparency of the company in all directions. The evidence of the efficiency is the received certificates and leading places in national scorings in many directions. The strategy of IDGC is directed toward designing of efficient high-tech company with high potential of growth.

PMI São Paulo, Brazil Chapter Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
on October 8th, 2008

Reported by Alcides Santopietro in São Paulo

The biggest and oldest Project Management Institute (PMI^®) Chapter in South America is based in São Paulo, Brazil, possessing more than 2,300 members and 10 years of existence. In order to celebrate its anniversary, as well as to promote a tribute to all leaders who were responsible for the success of the chapter’s evolution, a ceremony took place in São Paulo this week.

Mr. Luis Augusto dos Santos, PMI São Paulo, Brazil (PMI-SP) president informs that the chapter officially received, on October 8^th 1998, the "Chapter Charter", the letter authorizing the activities of this representative office of PMI^® in São Paulo.

The event to celebrate the 10^th anniversary was held on October 8^th 2008, exactly 10 years later, at the Buffet Estação Club, in São Paulo, Brazil.

The visionaries of the Chapter, people who were present at the first sessions and meetings to form the chapter, as well as those whose contributions to the chapter are unforgettable, were certainly mentioned and honored. Among them: Dr. Paulo Y. Sabbag, Mr. Márcio Prieto, Dr. Antônio Cesar A. Maximiano, Dr. Guilherme Ary Plonsky and Mr. Paul C. Dinsmore.

Mr. João Carlos Boyadjian, one of the chapter’s pioneers, took the opportunity to donate memorable documents to the PMI-SP Chapter, such as the minutes of the first meeting forming the chapter, the first chapter’s project charter and a copy of the first logo created for the Chapter which, since then, had portions of the Brazilian flag in it, indicating that the first chapter’s vision aimed to represent the whole country (now the country possesses 13 chapters representing the institute in different states).

Mr. Maurício Lopes, another pioneer who worked for the chapter since its formation, revealed to the audience a large commemorative metal plaque containing the name of all 2,300 current members.

The event was important to demonstrate that the PMI-SP Chapter values the important contribution of all its leaders and volunteers who, since the beginning of the chapter’s existence, have been working hard and passionately to build this community around the project management profession in Brazil.

With more than 260,000 members in 170 plus countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) is a leading membership association for the project management profession and the largest association dedicated to the advancement of project management in the world. As a leading advocate for the profession, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards, providing a professional career path for project managers and creating a family of professional credentials: Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM^®), Project Management Professional (PMP^®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP)^®. Additionally, PMI provides access to the knowledge, skills, educational support and networking opportunities for driving business results through project management, program management and portfolio management. Founded in 1969, PMI also has an extensive research program. PMI São Paulo, Brazil Chapter (PMI-SP): http://www.pmisp.org.br. Project Management Institute (PMI^®): http://www.pmi.org.

PMI Belgium Invites Nominations for 2008 Project Manager of the Year Awards

The PMI Belgium chapter organises for the 2^nd time the Project Manager of the Year award. Candidates must be an active Project Manager and present their project management results to a jury of Project Management Experts on October 25^th. The award will be nominated on the PMI open Chapter event of November 25^th in Liège.

Fill in the application form on www.pmi-belgium.be and win a ticket to a European PMI congress for 2 persons.

The jury will consist out of Louis Mercken (former CEO of Threon Group Europe, CIO of CSC, Umicore, Exxon Chemical, chairman of PMI), Carl Malbrain (CEO a.i. Thenergo; before CEO Seghers Better Technology & Biffa Waste Services, Chairman Indaver, Directeur-Generaal SCK/CEN)), Paul d’Aubioul (>30y experience in implementation of financial-, HR- and project management systems, executive professor at UAMS, program leader Project Management ) Professor Allard van Riel – (Arcelor Chair of Innovation Strategy HEC Management School, University of Liège), Prof. Dr. Mario Vanhoucke (Operations & Technology Management Centre, Vlerick Management School, Belgium Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Gent University), Chris Kindermans (President PMI Belgium ) Anja Vandenbergh (Vice president PMI Belgium) & Peter Sarasyn (Director of Finance PMI Belgium), Stefaan Vandevoorde (Director PMI Belgium).

With more than 265,000 members in over 170 countries, PMI is a leading membership association for the project management profession. PMI is actively engaged in advocacy for the profession, setting professional standards, conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources.

PMI also promotes career and professional development and offers certification, networking and community involvement opportunities. In fact, with nearly 260,000 certified, the Project Management Professional (PMP^®) credential is the most widely recognized certification in the PM profession. For almost 40 years, PMI has advanced the careers of practitioners who make project management indispensable for business results.

In June 1997 in Paris, the idea was born to create a more local chapter for the Benelux countries. The PMI Benelux Chapter was officially recognized by the Project Management Institute as an independent component in 1998. Since that start-up, the chapter has grown to one of the largest in Europe, with more then 800 members residing in Belgium and Luxembourg.

For more info or interviews please contact Wouter.Ducheyne@pmi-belgium.be +32.486.090.842 or visit www.pmi-belgium.be.

New Executive Board Officially Announced by IPMA

As previously reported by PMForum, a new Executive Board has been elected by the Council of Delegates of the International Project Management Association (IPMA) during their business meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of September 2008.

According to the IPMA website, the following newly elected officers of IPMA, as shown in the photo below, will serve for the 2009-2010 term,

In the photo from left to right:

Nino Grau (Germany) -Vice president
Roberto Mori (Italy) - Vice president
Mladen Radujkovic (Croatia) -Vice president
Veikko Välilä (Finland) - Chairman of the Council
Brigitte Schaden (Austria) - President
Adesh Jain (India) - Deputy Chairman of the Council (partially hidden)
Qian Fupei (China) - Vice President
Alexander Tovb (Russia) - Vice President
Ruud Bolsius (The Netherlands) - Vice President

We at PMForum wish these professional leaders the best of luck and success during their terms of office.

Founded in 1967 and registered in Switzerland, the International Project Management Association (IPMA) is the world’s oldest project management professional organization. IPMA is a global organization of over 45 national representative societies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. National societies serve the needs of individual members in local languages, while IPMA provides an umbrella organization to represent them at the international level. IPMA’s 4 Level PM Certification Programme continues to grow, with over 50.000 professionals having now achieved IPMA Certification worldwide. The IPMA annually presents project management awards to teams that achieve great feats in project management. IPMA maintains its continuous presence in the global PM arena through regular International Symposia, Expert Seminars and its Annual World Congress (to be held this your in Rome). Additional information is available at www.ipma.ch.

PMI Announces 2008 Award Winners in Denver

Reported live from the PMI Global Congress 2008 - North America in Denver

The Project Management Institute (PMI) held its annual Awards Ceremony in the Wells Fargo Theater at the Denver Convention Center on Saturday, 18 October. Each year, PMI recognizes various components, organizations and individuals from around the world for outstanding achievements in project management, and for their superior performance within the Institute.
This year, the following award winners were recognized by PMI:

Project of the Year Award

• Hatch Ltd. (Canada), for two large projects in Quebec: Project to expand Acid Leach Plant and sectors of QIT-Ger et Titane’s UGS plant in Sorel-Tracey.

Distinguished Project Awards

• National Council on Compensation Insurance (USA), for its “Residual Market Application Processing System Freeflow Project”

• Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (USA), for its “Micros 4.0 Project”, an initiative to integrate multiple state-of-the-art technologies with existing infrastructure to serve the company’s 900+ restaurants across the US.

• Vermont Electric Power Company (USA), for its “Northwest Vermont Reliability Project.”

PMI Component Awards

• Component of the Year – Chapter Category II – PMI Sweden Chapter

• Component of the Year – Chapter Category III – PMI Central Virginia Chapter

• Component of the Year – Chapter Category III – PMI Phoenix Chapter

• SIG of the Year – SIG Category II – PMI Information Systems SIG

• Component Leadership Award – Category II – Patrik Bergstrom, PMP (Sweden)

• Component Leadership Award – Category III – Teresa Colon, PMP (South Florida, USA)

• Component Leadership Award – Category IV – Michael Flint, PMP (Southern Ontario, Canada)

• Component Leadership Award – Category IV – Ron Taylor, PMP (Washington, DC, USA)

Professional Awards

• Distinguished Contribution Award – Tim Bueter, PMP (USA) and John Makaran

• PMI Community Advancement through Project Management Award – Teresa Newton-Terres, PMP (USA)
  

Publication Awards

• David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award – Jean Binder, PMP, for Global Project Management: Communication, Collaboration and Management Across Borders.

Awards to Product & Service Organizations

• Professional Development Provider of the Year Award – Individual/Business Category – Cheetah Learning

• Professional Development Product of the Year Award – Individual/Business Category – The Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Education Foundation Awards

• James R. Snyder International Student Paper of the Year Award – North American Region – Peter Bennison, for “Agile and PMBOK® Project Management Techniques: Closer than you Think.”

• Donald S. Barrie Award (research award) – Chad Lee, for his research paper “BIM – Changing the Construction Industry.”

PMForum wishes to congratulate these individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievements this year, and for their winning of the above PMI awards.

The PMI Awards Ceremony in Denver was immediately followed by an Awards Reception in Four Seasons Ballroom, where PMI leaders and guests celebrated with the awards winners and the forthcoming launch of PMI’s North American congress on Sunday. Here are a few photos from the reception.

The PMI Global Congress North America, held this year in Denver, is PMI’s largest event and one of the largest PM conferences in the world each year. Other PMI Global Congresses are held annually in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe-Middle East-Africa Region, and in Latin America. For information about the Denver congress, visit http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2008/TheCongress/Keynote.cfm.

With more than 280,000 members in 170+ countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI®) is the largest membership association for the project management profession in the world. As a leading advocate for project management, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards and creating a family of professional credentials, currently including the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®), Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP)®. PMI also provides access to project management knowledge, information, education, research and networking opportunities for individuals and organizations. Founded in the USA in 1969, PMI is now a global organization with members, chapters and offices worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.pmi.org.

PMI Global Congress 2008 North America opens in Denver
with keynote speech by General Colin Powell

Reported live from the PMI Global Congress 2008 - North America in Denver

The PMI Global Congress 2008 – North America opened in Denver, Colorado, USA on Sunday, 19 October 2008 with a keynote speech by General Colin Powell. General Powell is one of America’s best known and most popular former military leaders and statesman.

The Opening General Session began at 3:45 p.m. with introductory comments by PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero, who also introduced the PMI Board of Directors, PMI Fellows and the Project Action Team that helped plan and implement this year’s congress. Greg then introduced Mr. Philip Diab, Chair of the PMI Board of Directors, who provided a brief update on developments both within PMI and in the broader world of professional project management. On concluding his remarks, Philip introduced Mr. Seth Patton, Director of Product Development and Marketing for Microsoft Project, the sponsors of the opening session. Mr. Patton introduced the keynote speaker, General Colin Powell.

General Colin L. Powell, US Army (Ret.), is a former U.S. Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, and Four-Star General. For approximately 45 minutes, General Powell shared stories and insights from his career about leadership, project management and social responsibility. One of the most admired men in the United States, General Powell’s speech was highly anticipated and he did not disappoint, delivering one of the most entertaining and interesting keynote speeches ever delivered at a PMI congress.

Drawing on examples from his experience as both a military leader and diplomat on the world stage, General Powell discussed what it takes to be a leader, providing examples and stories of leadership during times of both great change and crisis. Having appeared earlier in Washington, DC on the US Sunday morning television talkshow Meet the Press where he was interviewed by Tom Brokaw and during which he officially announced his support for US presidential candidate Barrack Obama, General Powell started his speech with the statement “As you might know, I’ve had a long and busy day!”

Some other memorable quotes from his speech:

“Our best defense against terrorism is an open and free democracy. We’re not going to let some guy hiding in a cave in Afghanistan make us change our open and embracing society. That’s our greatest weapon.”

“The essence of good leadership is the bond of trust between leaders and followers.”

“Gorbachev did what any good project manager does, he faced reality. He woke up the next day and dealt with the real world!”

“Small praise really goes a long way; just a couple of written lines to congratulate a second lieutenant for good work from a general can mean a lot!”

“Project management success needs good leadership and good followership!”

“You know you’re a good leader when people follow you just out of curiosity!”

“Leaders must convince followers to do something, and convince them that they want to do it.”

“Leaders must be an example of excellence!”

“Take care of the troops. Talk the mission; then walk it with them. You must know more than they do.”

“I don’t use the word motivate too much any more. I like the word ‘inspire’. You should inspire people, so they are self-motivated.”

“The highest priorities for the future are wealth generation, energy, the environment and education. We must educate our children.”

General Powell’s accomplishments as a leader, project manager, and advocate for economic and social development worldwide are inspirational. General Powell became the 65th US Secretary of State on January 20, 2001. He served as an aide to the US Secretary of Defense and as National Security Advisor under US President Ronald Reagan. He also served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 – 1993) under former US president George H.W. Bush. During this time, he oversaw 28 crises including the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The Opening General Session was immediately followed by the traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Exhibition once again featured booths, tables and exhibitions by many of the world’s leading suppliers of project management products and services. The reception in the vendor exhibition area was immediately followed by a reception for PMI credential holders.

The opening session was attended by approximately 3,000 people, with projected congress attendance at around 4,000. The PMI Global Congress North America, held this year in Denver, is PMI’s largest event and one of the largest PM conferences in the world each year. Other PMI Global Congresses are held annually in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe-Middle East-Africa Region, and in Latin America. For information about the Denver congress, visit http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2008/TheCongress/Keynote.cfm.

With more than 280,000 members in 170+ countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI®) is the largest membership association for the project management profession in the world. As a leading advocate for project management, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards and creating a family of professional credentials, currently including the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®), Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Program Management Professional (PgMP)®. PMI also provides access to project management knowledge, information, education, research and networking opportunities for individuals and organizations. Founded in the USA in 1969, PMI is now a global organization with members, chapters and offices worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.pmi.org.

PMI® and PMP® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute.

Editor’s note: Since no photos or electronic recording were allowed during General Powell’s speech, we were unable to include any live photos.

PMI Global Congress North America 2008 in Denver Day Two -
Highest PMI conference attendance in history!

Reported live from the PMI Global Congress 2008 - North America in Denver

The PMI Global Congress 2008 – North America opened in Denver, Colorado, USA on Sunday, 19 October 2008, with attendance projected to be over 4,000. According to Gregory Balestrero, PMI’s CEO, this event will have the largest attendance and more participants than any other conference in the Institute’s 39 year history.

The PMI Global Congress North American 2008 opened on Sunday, 19 October, with an Opening General Session highlighted by a memorable keynote speech by General Colin Powell (see PMF breaking news on 20 October 2008).

This was immediately followed by the traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Exhibition featured booths, tables and exhibitions by more than 135 of the world’s leading suppliers of project management products and services. Participants enjoyed food, beverages, networking and product demonstrations from leading North American and international PM suppliers. (see PMF breaking news on 20 October 2008)

(photo: PMForum VP Technology Nelson Soucek
& Managing Editor David Pells)

Day two of the conference, Monday October 20, included the following sessions:

• Breakfast presentation on “Researching the Value of Project Management by Mark Mullaly, PMP and Janice Thomas, PhD, in the Wells Fargo Theater

• Annual PMI Membership Meeting at 8:00 a.m.,

• Areas of Focus presentations during the morning and afternoon,

• open exhibition of PM products and services, and

• a Monday evening Networking Reception in the Korbel Ballroom (sponsored by PMLG).

The PMI Global Congress North America, held this year in Denver, is PMI’s largest event and the largest PM conference in the world each year. Other PMI Global Congresses are now held annually in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe-Middle East-Africa Region, and in Latin America. For information about the Denver congress, visit http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2008/TheCongress/Keynote.cfm.

With more than 280,000 members in 170+ countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI®) is the largest membership association for the project management profession in the world. As a leading advocate for project management, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards and creating a family of professional credentials, several of which have become de facto standard certifications worldwide. PMI also provides access to project management knowledge, information, education, research and networking opportunities for individuals and organizations. Founded in the USA in 1969, PMI is now a global organization with members, chapters and offices worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.pmi.org.

PMI® and PMP® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute.

New PMI Board members and officers for 2009 announced in Denver

Reported live from the PMI Global Congress 2008 - North America in Denver

The Project Management Institute (PMI) announced the results of elections for new board members and officers for 2009. The announcement was made at the PMI Global Congress North America 2008 in Denver, Colorado, USA on 19 October. Newly elected members of the PMI Board of Directors include the following:

• Jane Farley, FPMINZ, PMP, from New Zealand – former president of the PMI New Zealand Chapter, has 26 years’ experience in strategy, business operations and project management in central and local government sectors, IS, IT, financial, utilities and telecommunications industries.

• Deanna Landers, PMP, from Colorado, USA – a program manager at IBM with 20 years’ experience in IT, transportation, healthcare, finance, government and non-profit industries.

• Louis Mercken, PMP, PMI Fellow, from Belgium (photo at right: PMForum Managing Editor David Pells & Louis Mercken) – former president of the PMI Benelux Chapter and former Chair of the PMI Board of Directors, has over 30 years’ experience in a variety of organizations and industries in Europe.

• Jon Mihalic, PMP, from USA – has 17 years’ experience in project management and project controls in construction, IT, telecoms and environmental restoration.

• Peter Monkhouse, PMP, from Ontario, Canada – former president of the PMI Southern Ontario chapter, has more than 28 years of PM experience in consulting, engineering, IT and organizational change for major multinational organizations.

These new board members will join the following individuals who will continue their service to PMI on the board of directors in 2009:

• Frederick A. Arnold, PMP, PMI Fellow (USA)

• Eugene Bounds, PMP (USA)

• Yanping Chen, MD, PhD, PMP (USA

• Mark Owen Mathiesen, PMP (USA)

• William Moylan, PhD, PMP (USA)

• Beth Partleton, PMP (USA)

• Kathleen Romero, MBA, PMP (USA)

• Bruce J. Rodrigues, PMP (South Africa)

• Ricardo Viana Vargas, PMP (Brazil)

• Linda Vella, PMP (Canada)

On Sunday morning, 19 October, the following officers were elected to lead the Board of Directors and the Institute in 2009:

• Chair of the Board – Mr. Ricardo Vargas from Brazil

• Vice Chair – Mr. Eugene Bounds from USA

• Secretary/Treasurer – Ms. Kathleen Romero from USA

(Photos: Ricardo Vargas, Eugene Bounds, Kathleen Romero)

Current board members who are concluding their service to PMI on the board at the end of this year include:

• Philip R. Diab, MBA, PMP, from Amman, Jordan

• Iain Fraser, FPMINZ, PMP, from New Zealand

• Karen Tate, PMP, from Ohio, USA

• Martin C. VanDerSchouw, PMP, from USA

• Thomas Walenta, PMP, from Germany

We want to wish all of these professional leaders great success in their work on the PMI board and in their future business and professional work.

The PMI Global Congress North American 2008 opened on Sunday, 19 October, with an Opening General Session highlighted by a memorable keynote speech by General Colin Powell, one of America’s best known former diplomats and military leaders, and the traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall. The PMI Global Congress North America, held this year in Denver, is PMI’s largest event and the largest project management conference in the world. Other PMI Global Congresses are also held in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe-Middle East-Africa Region, and in Latin America. For information about the Denver congress, visit http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2008/TheCongress/Keynote.cfm.

With more than 280,000 members in 170+ countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI®) is the largest membership association for the project management profession in the world. As a leading advocate for project management, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards and creating a family of professional credentials, several of which have become de facto standard certifications worldwide. PMI also provides access to project management knowledge, information, education, research and networking opportunities for individuals and organizations. Founded in the USA in 1969, PMI is now a global organization with members, chapters and offices worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.pmi.org.

PMI® and PMP® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute.

PMI Global Congress North America 2008 in Denver Day Three -
Full day of presentations, exhibition & networking reception

Reported live from the PMI Global Congress 2008 - North America in Denver

The PMI Global Congress North America in Denver, Colorado, USA ended on Tuesday, 21 October 2008, with attendance confirmed at approximately 4,000 participants. The PMI Global Congress North American 2008 opened on Sunday, 19 October, with an Opening General Session highlighted by a memorable keynote speech by General Colin Powell and the traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Day two on Monday, 20 October, featured a breakfast presentation on Researching the Value of Project Management by Mark Mullaly, PMP, and Janice Thomas, PhD; Annual Membership Meeting, Areas of Focus Presentations in the morning and afternoon, vendor exhibition in the Exhibit Hall from 9 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.; and an evening networking reception for 2,000 in the Korbel Ballroom sponsored by PMLG of Atlanta.

Day three of the conference on 21 October included the following:

• Breakfast presentation by Connie Podesta (pictured) in the Wells Fargo Theater

• Areas of Focus professional presentations in the morning and afternoon

• Open exhibition of PM products and services in the Exhibit Hall

• Tuesday evening networking reception in the Four Seasons Ballroom

Here are a few more photographs from the day:

The PMI Global Congress North American 2008 opened on Sunday, 19 October, with an Opening General Session highlighted by a memorable keynote speech by General Colin Powell, one of America’s best known former diplomats and military leaders, and the traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibition Hall. The PMI Global Congress North America, held this year in Denver, is PMI’s largest event and the largest project management conference in the world. Other PMI Global Congresses are also held in the Asia Pacific Region, Europe-Middle East-Africa Region, and in Latin America. For information about the Denver congress, visit http://congresses.pmi.org/NorthAmerica2008/TheCongress/Keynote.cfm.

With more than 280,000 members in 170+ countries, the Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI®) is the largest membership association for the project management profession in the world. As a leading advocate for project management, PMI is actively engaged in setting professional standards and creating a family of professional credentials, several of which have become de facto standard certifications worldwide. PMI also provides access to project management knowledge, information, education, research and networking opportunities for individuals and organizations. Founded in the USA in 1969, PMI is now a global organization with members, chapters and offices worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.pmi.org.

PMI® and PMP® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute.