The European Association of People Management successfully held their first hybrid Delegates Assembly annual meeting on 9 September 2022. PERYON, the People Management Association of Turkey hosted the annual meeting in the beautiful and historic City of Istanbul. We welcomed representatives from 19 Countries in person and 13 online. It was an opportunity for Delegates from across Europe to come together to discuss HR and People Management subjects, network as well as help shape the agenda for the future of the EAPM.
We started with a warm welcome from the EAPM President, Even Bolstad:
The EAPM Delegates Assembly 2022 annual meeting was more than a formal necessity. The Delegates Assembly is the supreme body of the EAPM and as such, is governed by the decisions made at the annual meeting. Delegates were invited to vote on, and subsequently passed revised Statutes and regulations and agreed the operational plan and financial approach for 2023.
We held an election for a new Vice-President and subsequent Board Member from January 2023. We are delighted to announce that the Delegates Assembly elected Berna Öztınaz as EAPM Vice-President. Berna has been an EAPM Board Member since 2020 and also represents the EAPM on the WFPMA Board since 2022. In January, we will be welcoming Darko Petrovski as a new Board Member.
The beginning of some journeys come the end of others. Current EAPM Vice-President, Marita Salo certainly made an impact during her time on the Board. Marita has been a key driver in many improvements at the EAPM. From expanding our Membership, building regional networks and strengthening our governance. We thank Marita for her time and energy over the past few years.
As well as discussing their own Country and Association’s challenges over the past year, thoughts were also with our colleagues in Ukraine. We were joined online by Kateryna Kovalevska from a Ukranian HR Association to share her personal as well as professional story. The struggle of supporting employees and promoting efficient operation of the business whilst being in a constant state of fear and change.
Alongside an annual delivery report, the EAPM Secretariat also presented a video showcasing the activities and achievements of the EAPM so far in 2022. As an organisation built on volunteers, we rely heavily on our Board Members, Working Group Members and Associations to shape and deliver. As we are nearing the end of year one out of our four year strategic plan, we are confident in what we have achieved in 2022 and planned for 2023.
During the meeting, we hosted interactive sessions where delegates were given to opportunity to address, discuss and find potential solutions to issues they feel impact their Associations, as well as the Peoples Profession.
It wasn’t all ‘work and no play.’ PERYON organised some truly fantastic cultural excursions and dinners for the Delegates, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the Turkish culture, while providing great opportunities to mingle, build and strengthen relationships with the other delegates.
Our Delegates Assembly annual meeting is also an opportunity to connect and strengthen our European relations. The opportunity to get fresh ideas and perspective and come away with renewed energy is so important. For EAPM Delegates, the opportunity to experience new ways of working in different cultures really helps with both professional and personal development.
Many of our Delegates had worked together on projects online for the past fews years. As People profesionals, we understand the importance of face-to-face meetings to foster and maintain great working relationships. In a time of much uncertainty in the economy as well as security, the EAPM are here to support our Members and bring stability and continuity.
We are delighted to announce that the next Delegates Assembly annual meeting will take place in October 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. APG, the Portuguese Association of People Management won a Membership vote to host the next annual meeting. Before this happens, we have many plans to turn into actions!