Stepping into the role of OWIT President is a lot of things … wonderful, an honor, and at the same time very daunting. Running a local volunteer association is not always easy … running a global volunteer association presents many challenges, but I welcome these in my new role.

Let me share a few thoughts on what I believe is at the heart of OWIT’s success – which I hope will be linked to your success in leveraging this network and the opportunities it can provide.  

• Networking and reputation building.  It has never been more important to have a ‘good’ network and leverage it.  I believe that an effective network is not something you can build in ‘times of need’ but, rather, is dependent on the strength of your reputation. You need to prove yourself as someone who is likable, reliable, someone who gets things done, does what they say,’ gives’ and doesn’t just look to ‘get’, and  gives without necessarily expecting in return. I encourage you, when you are out building your network to recognize that you are asking for a lot when you want someone to connect you or recommend you. Ensure that you ask yourself first what credibility and trust you can build  so that  a budding relationship is created where people –even those who don’t know you very well – are willing to extend a hand and introduce you within their precious networks which they have nurtured and built over time.   I am a big believer that more will come to you if you first ‘give’ rather than expect to ‘get’. Visit our homepage at www.owit.org and click on the Positive Networking icon to subscribe to helpful networking tips every week.
• How to make the most out of your local chapter.  I often hear the question ’what is the value of membership?’   Well, what would you like it to be?   The value of membership needs to come from the contributions of the members.  Not all of us can volunteer our time; however, we can contribute with ideas, enthusiasm, support and connections.  If you want your chapter to be bigger, better, stronger – and therefore have more benefits for you – then I encourage you to maximize everything it already offers:
• Do you block out the dates of events in your calendar – and prioritize those dates where possible?
• Is your membership profile updated on your site?
• Have you ever contributed to the blog or newsletter to increase your profile within the chapter?
• Is there something you can do to help that would not cost you much in time/effort?  
• Distribute flyers of upcoming events within your company/or professional network.
• Introduce potential speakers/topics that you could connect the chapter to. 
• Talk up the network amongst your colleagues and friends

• How to make the most out of the global network. This all ladders up to the same questions on the international level – how can you benefit from being part of a global network?  We need to do more to connect with each other.   There are 21 active chapters in OWIT today – many in North America –but also outside: Denmark, Geneva (Switzerland), Cairo (Egypt), Nairobi (Kenya), Lima (Peru), Monterrey and Mexico City (Mexico).

OWIT is on LinkedIn – are you?  
Did you know OWIT has a group on Linkedin – have you joined it?

If you are doing business, moving to, or vacationing in the U.S. or other parts of Canada or in any of the cities/countries listed above – reach out to our chapters;

• I arranged my safari in Kenya through the OWIT Nairobi chapter – one of their members runs a travel agency! 
• We have done similar efforts with Geneva members travelling on business – where chapters have welcomed them to an event or arranged for members to meet with them while on their travels.
• Geneva has linked many of its members moving back to the U.S. (Washington, Houston, California
• Geneva has added other OWIT members who wish to be part of our Geneva website in order to get access to our job bank and membership database for those particularly interested in IGO sector (WTO/UN)
• Geneva has linked the ITC (International Trade Centre - a division of the UN) to our Peru chapter

There is a tremendous opportunity for you to benefit from your local chapter as well as the global network.   What I ask of you is to take proactive steps to the get the most out of the local and global association for your personal and professional benefit.  Only you will know what you expect and therefore can create for yourself.

The International Executive team will be focused on four areas this year:

• Fundraising/sponsorship: To attract the funding/sponsorship to fuel the business plan.
• Strengthen current chapters: Strengthening the operating principles, increase the chapter support tool box, and improve inter chapter connectedness (share & reapply of best practices).
• Use technology as an enabler: Expanding our current site to operate as a global portal, alongside adding additional technology and tools to leverage, scale and facilitate our global reach.
• Define the role/tools for how we connect our members:  in particular the conference model.

I welcome your ideas, and even more so your contributions.   I hope that I will have the chance to meet with some of you – if not face to face – perhaps through e-mails, our OWIT website and/or through LinkedIn. If at any point you have questions, would like to make suggestions or would like to get more involved, please feel free to reach out to me at president@gwit.ch

I wish you all the best in 2009 – and look forward to having OWIT be a valuable part to the success of your year.