Following the development of a five-year plan at the 2022 FIDI Conference in Cannes, FIDI 39 Club’s Jackie Stouffer discusses the club’s priorities and three of its important upcoming projects
Although the year is entering its fourth quarter, the 39 Club is only just getting started and already looking forward to what 2023 will bring to its members and the FIDI community.
During the 2022 FIDI Conference in Cannes, the FIDI 39 Club board had a unique opportunity to work with EY consultant Isabelle Dumortier in a strategic planning session – the goal of which was to set forth a ‘five-year plan’ for the future of the club.
The board tackled several key topics to ultimately arrive at what this plan may look like and how best to begin implementation. First and foremost, the club needs to be healthy to build upon existing initiatives and sustain long-term growth. The health of the club begins with the board – the board is the foundation at the most basic of levels, and you cannot begin construction without a solid foundation in place.
As a board, we have renewed our commitment to member engagement and outreach, not only via social media but also through existing and new resources that will directly benefit our members. While club health and engagement will be ongoing and ever present goals, the FIDI 39 Club also plans to place an increased emphasis on the role technology plays within our industry, proposing and embracing new ways in which FIDI may incorporate technology.
In the meantime, we are moving full steam ahead with our two primary existing projects – the FIDI 39 Club Scholarship and the collaboration on the Global Green Initiative (GGI).
The club is also poised to launch the 39 Club Mentorship Programme in the first quarter of 2023. This will play a key role in the club’s focus on promoting sustainable talent development within the industry – first, within the 39 Club itself, and then extending out to the rest of the FIDI community. Read below for more detail on each topic, and stay tuned for more exciting updates in the near future.
The FIDI 39 Club Scholarship
After a two-year hiatus, the FIDI community is back to its traditional conference schedule, and the FIDI 39 Club could not be more excited to reopen its scholarship application once again. The FIDI 39 Club Scholarship is open to any employee of a FIDI-affiliated company under the age of 40.
You do not have to be a current member of the FIDI 39 Club to apply. The goal of the scholarship is to recognise one deserving member of the FIDI community who is going above and beyond – whether in their company or within their local community.
Details of the scholarship can be found on the FIDI 39 Club’s website, and the application is now open for submissions until 31 December 2022.
The winner will be granted the opportunity to attend the 2023 FIDI Conference, where they will have the opportunity to share their project with the rest of the FIDI community, raise awareness, and hopefully encourage others to embark on their own projects. Please spread the word and apply as soon as you can.
The Global Green Initiative
The GGI was launched in Amsterdam at the 2019 FIDI Conference and is a collaboration between the industry’s young professional groups to drive forward sustainability across the industry.
Sustainability has been an ever increasing focus, and at the 2022 Cannes conference, FIDI 39 Club
president Jessica Deutschmann participated in a sustainability roundtable discussion among FIDI Affiliates and RMCs. This was an important step on a collaborative path towards a greener future in our industry, and it is the GGI’s mission to maintain momentum and continued focus on the topic throughout the year.
In June, FIDI 39 Club Board member Michael Hughes led an interview with FIDI President Laura Ganon to discuss FIDI’s commitment to a sustainable future. As Ganon highlighted, sustainability is a matter of survival for our industry, and is no longer an optional path for the FIDI community to follow.
In July, LACMANext President Daniela Krumdiek hosted an interview with LACMA and FIDI Latin America President Santiago Bosch and in August, IAM YP Board member Ashley Gorb followed suit, holding an interview with the IAM president.
On 17 September, the GGI promoted and hosted a virtual World Cleanup Day, encouraging members of all associations to share a photo or video of how they are contributing to environmental cleanup in their own communities.
The FIDI 39 Club is committed to a sustainable future for FIDI and the industry as a whole and will continue to raise awareness through the GGI activities over the course of the coming year.
You can watch the full interview with Michael Hughes and Laura Ganon on the FIDI 39 Club website https://www.fidi39club.org/global-green-initiative
The FIDI 39 Club Mentorship Programme
The FIDI 39 Club is proud to announce the upcoming launch of the mentorship programme in early 2023. The goal of the programme is to provide a neutral environment for the young professionals of our industry to receive coaching and guidance from experienced members of the FIDI community outside of their individual companies.
Our industry has so much to offer and there are a multitude of career paths available to FIDI’s next generation. However, perception is reality, and if the next generation cannot imagine what their future in this industry may look like, they may turn elsewhere to work towards their career goals. As members of the FIDI community, it is our responsibility to attract, retain and promote the growth of our younger and upcoming talent.
This programme was announced in person to FIDI Affiliates during the 2022 conference in Cannes, and has already received much support and enthusiasm from both potential mentees and mentors alike.
The club hopes it will develop into an invaluable tool for its members, promote further engagement and prepare a sustainable group of leaders to carry on the FIDI mission and vision into the years and generations to come.
Follow @fidi_39club on Instagram for the latest news and updates on the scholarship, GGI, mentorship programme, and more.
