EPIC NEWS
ANALYSIS AND OPINION REMEMBERING PROFESSOR BRYAN TOZER BSC PHD CENG CPHYS FIET FINSTP EPIC NEWS
By Carlos Lee, director general
www.epic-assoc.com
Board of directors composition key to successful organisation
I
am often asked about running an industry association, and my number one piece of advice is to ensure there is a very powerful board of directors. The board needs to be representative of the membership. In the case of Epic, we have
individuals from six different companies and one research organisation. We aim for the board to represent the geographical and technical diversity of our membership. All board members are CEO level or equivalent, and their main task is to drive the strategy of the association to ensure it best serves the interest of the members. The board is composed of only seven people, which allows for a lot of input
“We need to ensure Epic grows in a sustainable manner with a diverse source of income, but reflective of our mission”
from each individual, and requires strong commitment. The board members are appointed for a three-year term, renewable once – meaning that every year there is a replacement of at least one member, ensuring that new ideas and opinions are continuously injected into the organisation. There are typically two face-to-face strategy meetings each year, and two video-conferences – although during the pandemic everything was held online. During these meetings,
we discuss everything from finances and tactical strategy to
22 Electro Optics April 2021
The last Epic board of directors in-person meeting before the pandemic, hosted by Imagine Optic at their headquarters in Orsay, near Paris
human resources. As a growing organisation we need to ensure that Epic grows in a sustainable manner with a diverse source of income, but reflective of our mission to ensure the competitiveness of the European industry.
The kinds of decisions the
board makes include: • Should Epic remain European or become global? The ‘E’ of Epic is fundamental and therefore we decided Epic should remain a European organisation.
• Should Epic limit the number of members to ensure we know each member? No, as we grow, we need instead to develop a more sustainable model.
• Should Epic seek to raise as much money as possible from public authorities for its operations? No,
funding from participation in European-funded projects should be limited to 30 per cent.
• What new initiatives should Epic attempt? Given the pandemic, Epic should leverage more the potential to connect companies and people online, for instance through online technology meetings, and virtual exhibitions and conferences.
• How should Epic adjust its internal structure given that it has grown to 16 employees? Implement a middle management layer.
• How much profit should Epic aim to generate every year? Aim for €40,000 to ensure that it slowly builds a financial reserve, but not too much as all investment should always be geared to
increasing members’ benefit. As of April 2021, the Epic
board of directors is composed of: Adam Piotrowski, CEO of Vigo System (Poland); Basil Garabet, president and CEO of NKT Photonics (Denmark); Benno Oderkerk, co-founder, Avantes (The Netherlands), Berthold Schmidt, CEO of Trumpf Photonic Components (Germany),
Christian Bosshard, vice- president and head of the CSEM Center in Muttenz (Switzerland), Jan Meise, CEO of AMS Technologies (Germany), Samuel Bucourt, CEO of Imagine Optic (France). I would like to take this
opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all the board members who have personally coached and advised me since I joined Epic in 2012.
@electrooptics |
www.electrooptics.com
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