The President’s Column Dear Member


I suppose all Presidents wake up one day and realise that their tenure is almost at an end.


It’s been 18 months since I accepted the President’s chain in London, and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, personally and professionally. For me the period has been marked by my family and me moving States (to paradise - Tasmania), founding a rapidly growing new survey company and assuming the President’s role. So all in all a pretty low-key period.


The next logical step is a stocktake and to see what’s been achieved over the last 18 months. Have I done enough to further the aims of the organisation, and where to next?


With one egomaniac in a Presidential role elsewhere, I think that quota is full; so I’ll start this column by unequivocally stating that personally I doubt that my contribution has been significant, but that collectively we have made massive strides in the right direction as an Institute over the past 18 months.


Most of you are operating remotely and have not held office (yet) and you probably have little understanding of the nature of the hard work and the dedication the head office team and the Directors put into your Institute. The more I’ve worked with them the more


impressed I have been with the range of experience and surveying nous this group has, and how freely they share it for the greater good of our profession. Our CEO Mike is leading our small head office team superbly and feedback I’m getting from around the world is just how increasingly good the team is to deal with.


My view remains that our diversity is our strength. Please do put your hands up for office or committee work - no matter where you are in the world. You will easily get as much out of it as you give, and the Institute will be the stronger for it. I dial in to Board meetings after work here given the time zone difference, which seems to work well; and I’m having a glass of red wine whilst the rest are having morning tea - result!


We need to be around all perspectives - those of us in, or on, the doorstep of Asia are seeing the rapid approach of the much flagged Asian century. We need, if we are to remain relevant, to anticipate and work within this new paradigm. We need to increase our presence and influence in this important area and I cannot see any other surveyor organisation in a better position to do so.


This is certainly driving our thinking and is the reason why we are proposing re-constituting the former New Zealand and Australian Branches into a more regionally focussed entity. Those


of you who can get to Sydney (2/3 August 2018) around the time of the Boat Show in August this year will have the opportunity to influence this matter, as well as attend the Southern Hemisphere conference and do your eCMID training and seminar. Keep your eye out for the marketing material which will be coming your way. We would love to see you here.


And so on to a legacy. On the back of many giants of our profession’s shoulders I think we are launching into our second 25 years in excellent shape. We have a clear strategic direction and a great line up of talent ready to serve. We are a maturing profession with increasingly good ‘brand’ recognition. When professional organisations in the UK get to this stage they often seek a higher status which is what I think we should do. For example, a Royal Charter would set us out from the crowd and I’ll be raising this item at the next Board meeting and would be a fitting recognition that we are truly the largest, most professional and prestigious marine survey professional association in the world.


Enjoy another excellent Report magazine.


Mr Adam Brancher President International Institute of Marine Surveying Email: adambrancher@kedge.com.au


The Report • March 2018 • Issue 83 | 5


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