ICCA members in Asia, reacting to last week’s sudden announcement that CEO Martin Sirk is leaving at end-July after 16 years in service, say the organisation is well run and the appointment of chief value officer Dennis Speet as acting CEO – until a permanent replacement is found – will ensure a smooth transition.
Asia, with 259 members out of a total of 1,100 worldwide, represents ICCA’s biggest region, with China, Japan and Australia taking the top three spots with 57, 36 and 32 members respectively.
In a press statement the ICCA board said it would be “working with new leadership to drive the association forward over the coming decade, and to identify and implement new business models that will future-proof ICCA in what is certain to be a dynamic and hyper-competitive environment”.
ICCA will appoint a new CEO as soon as possible and has engaged an international recruitment firm to assist with the selection and evaluation process, the statement added.
Alicia Yao, a founding member of the ICCA China Chapter, is optimistic a permanent CEO would be announced by the time the 57th ICCA Congress in Dubai takes place in November.
Yao commented that ICCA is a “stable” association and leadership change is part and parcel of the renewal and rejuvenation process.
“Asia is safe and the economy is doing well, good reasons for ICCA to continue to focus on Asia and grow its members who value the marketing, training and database services it provides,” she observed.
Nancy Tan, managing director of Singapore-based PCO Ace:Daytons Direct (International), added: “ICCA is well run and the association has the right people in place to ensure nothing is affected.”
Meanwhile, Noor Ahmad Hamid, ICCA regional director Asia-Pacific, said the new ICCA CRM platform was rolled out in early-June to better capture and integrate information and to consolidate its tracking and servicing of its membership. It was one of the initiatives driven by Speet, who was formerly ICCA’s director of sales and marketing before he was promoted, to add value to members.
The 59th ICCA Congress returns to Asia in 2020 and will be held in Kaohsiung.
