Notice - Election of 2012 Board of Directors

The 2012 PMI Melbourne Chapter Nominations Committee received ten nominations by the deadline of 5:00 PM on 27 January 2012. The forms were reviewed by the Nominations Committee and six of the candidates were found to be eligible by the Nominations Committee for election to the Board in accordance with the Chapter's Rules.  Since there are six open Board positions, a ballot will not be required. 

The biographical and general statements of the six successful candidates are presented below. Their appointments as Directors of the Board of PMI Melbourne Chapter for a two-year term will commence at the Chapter's AGM. Please see the Chapter's website for details about this event.

David Wolfram, PMP
Chair, 2012 Board Nominations Committee

 

Fiona Campbell

Biographical Statement

I am a certified Project Management Institute project management professional, with over 16 years experience, including 12 years working within the SDLC within global multinationals in the UK, Europe and Australia.  I obtained my undergraduate qualifications of Aeronautical Engineering from the University of London, UK,  as well as a Masters in Engineering Business Management and a Doctorate in Project Risk Management from Warwick University, UK. 

I have a passion for the successful delivery of my projects and programs through developing and motivating high performing teams and individuals and proactively managing the overall governance and financial management of my programs. 
I have been involved in the PMI Melbourne Chapter for the last 5 years, initially as a chapter member, before moving into volunteering initiatives in the membership area.  I have been Membership director since August 2011, in which my primary focus has been on initiatives to increase the membership numbers of the Melbourne     Chapter, as well as  streamlining of processes to grow the membership base and manage the volunteering community.  Over the last 12 months, I have also been undertaking Australian Institute of Company Director (AICD) courses on governance, financial management and the general role of a board member, which I will utilise in my role as a director of the PMI Melbourne board.

General Statement

As a PMI Melbourne Chapter member since 2007, I have attended a number of monthly and have been actively involved as a volunteer for the last 18 months.  Working on the Membership Leakage Project, I defined a questionnaire to non-renewing and non-Melbourne chapter PMI members to understand why they have not joined the PMI Melbourne Chapter.  From these questionnaires, I have identified a number of initiatives to grow the membership of the chapter.  These include quick wins, including sending out benefits of the Melbourne Chapter the month prior to renewals, updating the FAQ section of the chapter website with specific Melbourne Chapter membership benefits, as well as longer term initiatives such as structured volunteering, mentoring and study groups as well as Webinars for Chapter Members of the monthly meetings. 
Since taking on the role of Membership director in August 2011, I have implemented a number of the initiatives     identified in the Membership Leakage project, and have actively sought to understand why people leave or renew their membership of the chapter.  I have also undertaken to ensure that the role of Membership & Volunteering Director is fully documented, and processes in place to enable succession planning and future proofing of the role.   I am keen to continue in this role, to further define and implement the strategy to increase the membership of the chapter, to roll out the planned initiatives, and to grow the understanding of project management within the Melbourne & Victorian region.

 

Maria Graetsch

Biographical Statement

I am a project manager who has specialised in project management roles over 15 years in government and more recently manufacturing of fast moving consumer goods.  I am currently employed as a senior project manager with Fonterra.  I was appointed as Treasurer on the PMI Melbourne Chapter board in July 2011.  Prior to this role, I contributed to the Chapter as a volunteer newsletter editor.  I have been a member of PMI since July 2005, and achieved my project management professional (PMP) certification in 2007.  I also hold and Prince2 Foundation certification.  I hold a Bachelor Degree in Arts and Law, a Masters Degree in Computing and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance.

General Statement

I am action focused and committed to working with the board to develop and implement ideas to deliver value for our members.
I have volunteered on the board as Treasurer for the past 6 months, and the experience has been both challenging and rewarding.  Over time, our chapter operations have grown, and our financial operational processes have remained relatively static.  There are many manual steps in our processes.  I have come up to speed with the chapter’s financial process and so far, have implement operational improvements for our Accounts Payable processes, and managed the outsourcing of end of month bookkeeping processes.

Should I be successful in gaining a position on the Board, I intend to work with the Finance Sub-Committee to implement further improvements across the chapter’s financial processes, including our reconciliation processes, website reporting, detailed process documentation and annual report production.  I plan to implement an operational framework that incorporates principles of continuous improvements, and offers continuing growth and development opportunities for volunteers.
These improvements will provide significant benefits to the Melbourne Chapter because they will streamline our financial processes, and ultimately, will assure the continued integrity of our financial processes and within a sustainable framework.

 

Chi Keen Low

Biographical Statement

I have over 15 years experience working in the telecommunications, banking and finance industries. My roles have included project management, program management, portfolio management and operations management. I am passionate about Delivery Excellence and my skills have enabled me to deliver strong management especially in complex areas. I have proven ability to manage clients and businesses with multiple projects and programmes through solid leadership and organisational skills. I am currently on the PMI Melbourne Chapter Board and have been involved in a number of activities including managing the preparation of the Annual Report. I am a career Program Manager who has been a member of the PMI and PMI Melbourne Chapter for over 10 years and I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

General Statement

I want to join the Board to contribute my time, effort and expertise to assist in the running and promotion of PMI Melbourne Chapter in professional project management. I have excellent organisational skills and will ensure the Chapter runs efficiently. The Chapter has provided many events, networks and experiences to me and this is my opportunity to contribute back to the Chapter.

 

David Palfreeman

Biographical Statement

I am a Director of a boutique Project Management Consultancy based in Melbourne.  As well as being a PMP, I have an BSc (Hons), MBA, Dip Law and an LLM in Legal Practice.  I have been admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court in the ACT.  I am a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  In addition I have taught public speaking at schools in Australia, as part of a volunteer program.

General Statement

David is Director of a boutique Project Management Consultancy based in Melbourne.  As well as being a PMP, he has a BSc (Hons), MBA, Dip Law and an LLM in Legal Practice.  He was admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court in the ACT.  He is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  
He has worked with a wide range of clients from finance & banking to airlines and government departments, in Australia and overseas on a range of projects.   He enjoys motorsport and has raced Porsches at a number of tracks in Europe and Australia.  
David is looking forward to working with the other board members to continue to develop the Melbourne Chapter and PMI in Melbourne.

 

Peter Philpott

Biographical Statement

My involvement over the last 2 to 3 years with the organisation has principally revolved around numerous excellent presentations I have attended.  These have spurred my interest to involve myself more deeply in order to contribute directly to the growing success of the PMI.

To contribute to the PMI, I would draw upon 30 years in business with Blue Chip organisations, combining front-line management experience in marketing, extensive consulting in marketing and business strategy (11 years with KPMG) and Project Management experience in Telstra and IBM since 2004.

During my long consulting career I devised and conducted many  strategic reviews and strategy development projects for major not-for-profit organisations and for major listed and unlisted businesses.  These covered industries ranging from the services sector to telecoms to manufacturing, presenting recommendations at GM, Board and C-level. This consulting experience was put into practice during a period of 4 years as the Marketing Manager at Tattersalls.

As a PM with experience in both the commercial side and in delivery, I understand the challenges that the PM faces in today’s demanding workplace.

My educational and professional qualifications include Degrees in Arts and Science (Hons), a Graduate Diploma in Marketing and PMP qualifications.

Public speaking experience includes presenting numerous presentations to the Australian Institute of Management in marketing.  In  addition, my marketing communications roles utilised both paid and unpaid communications and have designed and utilised wide ranging marketing research programs to assist in setting communications strategy.

General Statement

As a front line Project Manager familiar with the challenges of finding time for professional development, and with a strong interest in career advancement, I view the PMI as a powerful tool in the armory of every serious Project Management Professional. 

However our professional and commercial world is changing rapidly and PMI needs to meet the challenge this presents. 

Competition is increasing both directly – in terms of off-shoring particularly – and though increasing commoditisation of our professional “brand” – that is the Project Management speciality itself.  New Project Management challenges appear every day, and the Project Management professional has to have the tools to adapt in order to survive, much less in order to prosper.

The PMI is the logical go-to resource for the Project Management professional. We must strengthen our professional brand in the market by building competence and recognition.

We must help PMs grow in order to enhance their differentiation and their value to their target audiences.

To do these things we need to understand trends in the market and profession, understand the needs of members, and of the market.  We must use this insight to devise and implement forward-looking strategies to support members in being effective and credible in meeting these market demands.

The great work done by the PMI both globally and locally provides an outstanding foundation that must be further channelled in the interests of serious Project Management professionals in Victoria.

I would enjoy the privilege of contributing to the further growth and development of the organisation, and of members’ interests.

 

Priya Ravindra.

Biographical Statement

Priya Ravindra was appointed as a Melbourne Chapter Board of Director in July 2011. She has contributed significantly towards chapter governance, events and professional development initiatives. Within three months into her role Priya was able to establish a new silver sponsor for PMI Melbourne Chapter.

Priya is creating awareness on PMI initiatives using social media tools namely LinkedIn and Twitter. She has been presenting at RMIT and Monash universities to encourage graduates to embark on project management career path. Priya is committed to enhance professional development services offered to chapter members. She played a key role in organising sponsorship, event promotion and entertainment for PMI 15 year anniversary gala successfully held in November 2011

Priya is also a Board Member of Victorian ICT for Women and she was a guest speaker at the 'Go Girl Go for IT' event to encourage more young women to embark on an IT career. She is working with various associations in India to sponsor education for youth and kids from disadvantaged background.

Priya has over 10 years experience in the IT industry and she is passionate about delivering value through effective project management.  Currently she is a Project Manager Lead at the University of Melbourne and she has established Women in ICT focus group within IT Services division to promote networking, leadership and mentoring initiatives. 

She holds a Bachelor degree in Electronics and Micro-engineering with two Chancellors Award, a Masters degree in Business and IT (Distinction) and recipient of RMIT Canada travel grant scholarship.

General Statement

As a PMI member I find that PMI Melbourne chapter is not only bringing Project Management community together but also offering enriching experiences to Project Management Professionals. It has been a privilege to work for the PMI Board since July 2011 and I am committed to make a difference in our PM community with core focus on professional development services, strategic alliances and partnerships with organisations and social media initiatives.

As an avid believer of PMI core values, I am aiming to pursue strategic alliances for Melbourne chapter through building effective relationships and delivering value add professional development services to our members.  I have launched a Professional Development committee in 2012 and aim to introduce increased variety of high quality training options to our members.

In addition to new initiatives like on-line training, I am committed to enhancing certification opportunities for graduates and aspiring professionals. I intend to continue presenting at various universities to advocate benefits of PMI membership to students.

I am focused on using social media tools like LinkedIn and Twitter to enable better engagement between Board and community members.  In 2012, I would like to use social media tools to empower of community with knowledge sharing and career progression opportunities.
Being a PMI Board Member and Vic ICT Board Member has empowered me to actively advocate and propagate our Chapter achievements to a wider audience. I am also keen on collaborating ventures between both organisations that offer leadership training, mentoring and networking initiatives to community members.