Thursday 1 June 2017

President’s log - June 2017

Hi there everyone,

I am pretty sure many of you reading this will be starting to think of your well deserved summer holidays. Just goes to show just how quickly my year as your President is going!

The last few weeks have been very enjoyable but also very different - social events, repre-senting the Institute on an international level, looking forward to the future and ensuring our Institute remains vibrant and relevant.

The three social events were varied and enjoyable, the first being a lunch I hosted in London for the Presidents of kindred Institutes. This was a very informal affair, with no speeches or presentations - just an opportunity to get to know each other and discuss the issues that impact us all.

The second was an event I had been looking forward to - the Lancashire and Cheshire Association dinner. This was particularly enjoyable as it was the members of the Lancashire and Cheshire branch, as they were then, who took me under their wing as a young student and helped me both through my exams, introducing me to many of the events and people of the Institute. The help and kindness shown to me then has carried me throughout my career and I still look back on my time as a member of the “branch” with great affection.

The most recent social event was as a guest of North East CIPFA, at their dinner in New-castle. The evening was a success and again gave me the opportunity to meet up with friends I hadn't seen in a number of years. In fact, speaking to one old friend we reckoned it had been nearly 30 years since we last had a drink together!

I was also really pleased to represent the Institute at the latest TEGoVA (The European Group of Valuers’ Associations) conference, which was held in Belgrade, a really interesting city. I think we can all take pride in the way our Institute is revered by the European and North American valuation professions.  This was borne out when our very own Roger Messenger was re-elected as the organisation’s Vice Chairman for the next three years.  Congratulations to Roger!

However, arguably the most important event was the meeting of the national Council, where a number of discussions took place on the future of the Institute. We are only a small organisation, and unfortunately the current climate means that our number and therefore our income is reducing. We are not alone in this situation, as many of our compatriot Institutions are experiencing the same issues.

Therefore, it is imperative that we address these issues and formulate a plan going forward, so that we ensure that we have an Institute that is as strong, relevant and as highly thought of as it is today. These discussions are continuing and we plan to bring proposals before you at the Telford Annual Conference in October.  I look forward to reporting on our conclusions.

Yours, 

Ian