. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This is the first letter that I am writing in the capacity of my position as Chair of AGN International.  It is indeed an honour and privilege to serve our members.

World Congress
What a fabulous Congress that took place in Amsterdam!  It was indeed a breath of fresh air from the previous Congresses, as it took the participants to a more proactive role in its program.

The emphasis was on teamwork, challenges and solving of problems.

They say “two heads are better than one”, but certainly you would agree that “many heads are better than two”. There was even a whole day session of “Personal Values Evaluation”, which enabled us to understand ourselves and our relationships with others better, and also our personal strengths and weaknesses and motivational attributes. It was certainly a soul-searching experience for some.

I am sure everyone has fond memories of the Gala dinner in the beautiful “Garden of Eden”, not to mention some famous sights as well as the “tolerance” nature of the Dutch.  Congratulations to Nick and the organisors and our Dutch members for making the arrangements for the wonderful time we have had.

Board Meeting - September
On a serious note, the Board met two days before the Congress. It was, no doubt, one of the most brain-heavy sessions we have had thus far, further emphasizing the concerns of some of the regions on the issue of network/association.

The Board had to choose the best option and the decision was made with full understanding of what the two structures entail, and with much time spent by the Board in the last two years after seeking legal counsel.
With the changing landscape of legal suits and litigations due to professional negligence, our member firms must be protected. Once that was decided, it was another full day of putting pen to paper on the future of our organisation.

All these events give us the opportunity to know each other,
our areas of expertise, our cultural differences and ways of doing
things and getting to know each other too on a more personal level

Several things have to be put in place in order to ensure that the status of Association is upheld in its entirety. Every possible way is thought through so that the Association would gain advantage carrying that structure. These will be shared to our members at a later date.

We welcome Randy Redwitz, who is replacing Mark Kaufmann. The Board thanks Mark for his contributions and input and wishes him the best in his endeavours. The Board also appointed Jim Carulas to Vice Chairman.
The e-based reporting update is on our website and members are encouraged and urged to use it to complete their data for submission. This would enable the Executive Office greater capacity and effectively update data from our members. Please do make use of it.

On my return to the Asia Pacific region after the World Congress, I have visited the Japanese firms of Hanai and Associates, Hor-U and also our affiliate member, Arma and Associates. They all have English speaking members. Tentacles of businesses from the West are reaching out to the East and as such we shall endeavour to ensure that most of the countries are adequately equipped to serve the association’s needs.

As I write this, I am leaving to attend the West Asia and Africa Regional Meeting in Bahrain.

To be a successful organization, I sincerely urge that each of our member firms of the Association participate in the World Congresses that have been so carefully researched and put together by the Executive Board for you.
If that is not possible, please do the minimum to participate in the Regional meetings.  All these events give us the opportunity to know each other, our areas of expertise, our cultural differences and ways of doing things and getting to know each other too on a more personal level.

Meanwhile, I know that you will give me and the Association every support to ensure that AGN International is certainly an Association that is forward-looking and a force to be reckoned with.

Best regards and wishing each of you well,

Esther Tan
Chair – AGN International
GEP Associates
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
esther@gep.com.my

: : Back to main page : :