Annual Report 2009 - Chartered Institute of Arbitrators

Annual Report 2009need though is for enthusiasts to set out on the trail and tomake this message even clearer than it seems to those ofus “in the know”.You all need to know that our Executive, led by the DirectorGeneral and a first class team of directors and senior staff atBloomsbury Square is highly motivated to help and guidethese efforts in any way it can, but not to dominate them.Our courses, conferences, seminars and tutorials are pricedas low as we can set them, to try to catch as many as possibleof those who want to take part. And there is plenty ofcompetition, and many imitators, some of them very good.Our education and training to deliver practical professionalismand the skills of experienced people to the highest level ofmembership across the world should be our most importantambition. Besides being a Chartered Institute and a LearnedSociety, we have to spread the message, and it is to thatend that all our efforts, strategic and operational, must bedirected. We have a better team now at the helm than wehave ever had. In an extraordinary year of horrible economicconditions for most of the world, we have made more solidprofit than we have ever done in our entire history, and so,without being complacent, we now sit on a much firmerfinancial basis.I hope very much that the Trustees and all those concernedwith the management and “upskilling” of our branches cansee that their duties now are to think long-term, and tocreate the conditions for growth, especially in thosecountries where the art and science of dispute resolution isless well developed.Dispute resolution skills and practice are evolving acrosscultures and societies, to the point where it may be thoughtthere are no longer any absolutely right answers. Increasingly,there is a wider and wider range of choices for our clientsand customers, whether they are governments, companies,other organisations or individuals. I would like to think that allour members have at the forefront of their learning andpractice a greater awareness and concern for those theymay be appointed to serve. We will fail them and ourselves ifwe do not constantly recalibrate our skills to fit this changingenvironment. The development of our Panel AppointmentCertificate and our increased focus on continuing personaldevelopment is but one facet of this work.It’s been fun, tiring, frustrating, often uphill, but I have gaineda great deal from so many people. I hope I have upheld andadvanced CIArb’s best interests. I understand that there isonly so much that one can ask of volunteers at every level,but the reward of working in an elected post at branch,national, or international level is that the scales of doubt arelifted from one’s eyes, and small but important steps can betaken towards the improvement of international understanding.For those reasons, I have tried in 2009 to make myprivileged travel on your behalf serve the dual purpose ofrepresenting the Institute’s vision and articulating its objectives,as well as leaving some practical experience behind. It hasbeen very rewarding to be able to do that.The Institute is in very good hands, provided those electedto serve its interests remember that they are there for themembers, and not for themselves. Thank you so much forthe honour of allowing me to take a year to try to help insustaining and boosting all your efforts, wherever you are inthe world. I am sure I can count on everyone of our membersto give Joe Behan, my hugely talented successor, all thesupport and encouragement he needs, wherever he goes inthe world.■CIArb Annual Report 2009: Report from the PresidentPage 03