IHRM Alumni Association

Roadmap: A progress report on the IHRM Alumni Association (IHRMAA)
By Sam Kiura

It is slightly over one year since the inauguration of the interim IHRMAA Executive Committee on the 15th of October 2009. In the intervening period, several significant achievements have been realized. These include the finalizing of the IHRMAA Constitution which is now awaiting legal registration at the Registrar’s Office. A consultative forum was held in the second half of 2009 where members were given a chance to air their views and suggestions towards the formulation of both the IHRMAA Constitution and its Strategic Plan. The constitution was widely circulated before the forum was held. Members’ views were duly incorporated into its amendment. This is significant in the sense that once the Constitution has been registered, the association will acquire its own “legal persona” as it were, and become an independent legal entity.

The Executive Committee, under the leadership of its Chairperson Naserian Kimathi, has also finalised the IHRMAA Strategic Plan, geared to guiding the IHRMAA over the next 5 years. The major objectives of the Strategic Plan include; driving membership, enhancement of the alumni network, promotion of the HR profession, enhancement of the image of the profession and support of the Institute in its various initiatives. Committee members also strategized on ways of enhancing the Associations communication and how to leverage on modern technologies to achieve the Associations objectives. It is envisaged that the next elected Executive Committee will have a firm foundation on which to build on, to grow the Association.

Key focus areas in 2011 will be building awareness of the Association to existing members, increasing the number of paid-up members who can enjoy the benefits of belonging to the Association, branding the Association and enhancing communication to members. A grand re-launch of the Association is planned in 2011 once legal registration has been achieved. The Executive Committee will greatly rely on the support of former students to make this event a success since this will be the launch-pad towards a recognized and well-supported Association. An AGM will be called soon thereafter to vote in an Executive Committee under the new Constitution.

To achieve all this, the Executive Committee is calling on the undying support of all former IHRM students – the Alumni. In these initial stages the Association needs both financial and technical support to succeed and we call on all past IHRM students to pay up their annual membership fees and support the Executive Committee various initiatives that will be communicated from time to time.

Let me take this opportunity, on behalf of the interim IHRMAA Executive Committee, to wish you all a prosperous 2011.

The writer is the former editor of HR Management Magazine and is currently a Member of the IHRMAA Executive Committee. (sam.kiura@hrstrategicpartners.org)

Contact the Alumni: alumni@ihrm.or.ke