Happy Saturday and welcome to CEO Speaks for Saturday June 29, 2024, sponsored exclusively by Second Wind Consultants, specializing in article 9, out of court, transactional restructurings.
Today, in sharing all that is going on in TMA nation, I want to reinforce two critically important aspects of what it means to be part of TMA, membership and leadership.
Membership matters and we are reminded of that time and again in how our members engage with opportunities throughout TMA and in the value membership brings, from building one’s personal brand to creating trusted relationships that last a professional lifetime; it all starts with the one connection that connects you with what it means to be a member of TMA.
While the TMA brand is strong, and more non-members find value in organizational opportunities, it is those who become and remain members who help our organization shine. Membership matters and is the essence of TMA and the gateway to professional development and important leadership opportunities that help our stand-out organization thrive.
Take for example, the recent Mid-Atlantic Symposium, a collaboration of TMA Philadelphia/Wilmington, TMA New Jersey, and TMA Chesapeake, this year celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Look to the example of its co-chairs Sari Placona and Colin Robinson, who, in being dedicated TMA members, have built a personal and professional profile that has supported a leadership path only available to members and members who step up and assure member value is creative in elevated ways. That’s what members do, as they mentor others not just about what TMA has to offer, but the power of TMA membership as part of the story of all of our professional journeys.
With content at the Mid-Atlantic Symposium that included a Bankruptcy Judges Roundtable, NextGen networking dinner, an economist’s panel, NOW spa luncheon, and networking that spanned day and night, this is how at TMA we showcase the best of who we are to reinforce not just the outstanding conference experiences like this, but in that, reinforcing that membership matters and must be focused on first to receive maximum professional value by being affiliated with TMA.
And with membership and leadership top of mind, I turn your attention to the upcoming TMA NextGen Leadership Conference that will be held in Toronto, CA, on July 25, where we put attention on our NextGen leaders, already tried and true TMA members making a difference, starting with this year’s NextGen Committee co-chairs Pat Bellot and Joe Richman, who stand for showing the importance of membership by leading the way for our NextGen community by setting the example of how they professionally thrive because of their membership and leadership through TMA.
This year, the NextGen Leadership Conference will include timely topics such as NextGen Restructuring: A.I. Powered Solutions, Canada vs. US, Cross-Border Restructurings 101, Tips and Tricks, and Embracing Identity to Build a Person Brand.
This next generation thought leadership conference not only sets the tone for future professional development but professional development that is inseparably defined by membership in TMA, reinforcing that membership matters, and more so with every experience we create that elevates the importance of being a part of TMA.
Both here in the US and all over the world, membership matters, and what it means to be a TMA member makes us shine.
This week for example, Global President elect Rachael Smiley and I had the opportunity to visit and spend time with the leaders and members of our TMA Brazil chapter, who in their 15th year as a TMA chapter, has now grown to be over 700 members strong, with 24% of its members and 50% of its board being women.
In what is one of the most outstanding demonstrations and testaments to the value of membership in TMA, under the leadership of chapter President Fabiano Saragiotto, this stand out chapter is constantly looking at ways to support all demographics of its burgeoning membership.
The chapter’s efforts focus on regionalism, specific industry issues such as Agra restructurings, efforts to build a certification program, connectivity with other organizations such as IWIRC Brazil, and a two-day congress that attracts over 500 participants and includes programs that have brought over 100 speakers to the TMA stage to inform, motive and create a connected experience to show what it means to be a member of TMA, and why membership matters in buildings one’s professional profile and connected opportunities only available through TMA.
If the message isn’t crystal clear, let me make it so. Membership matters because the TMA journey, your professional journey, and the relationships made along the way are not just about occasionally touching what TMA has to offer but by being part of the experience that defines professional evolution, development, and support in a way that one can only experience and understand being a member, and a member exclusively, of TMA.
Membership is where the journey begins, and leadership is the next evolution of involvement, for without the leaders of today and the ones in development for tomorrow, we cannot be a better organization, creating the best in class experiences for our members worldwide.
With TMA Global nominations now open, this is the moment where you are urged to consider taking your TMA journey to the next level. Just look to the leaders of today, like Global President elect Rachael Smiley, who, in a trajectory that started as a chapter leader less than a decade ago, now sits at the zenith of TMA leadership, where next year she will become the organization’s 6th woman global President.
With nominations open until July 12th, this is your opportunity to take member value to new heights with opportunities to be appointed to the global executive board and board of trustees, or if you aren’t ready for that, but want to dip your toe in the waters of global opportunities, apply for a global committee role, and be part of the vision that will help us create TMA tomorrow. Apply now.
Lastly, today, on this segment of member moments, we celebrate the outstanding leadership of TMA Brazil President Fabiano Saragiotto, who, in leading a 700-person chapter, does so with passion, vision, and fortitude, the likes of which define the very essence of what it means to be a member and leaders of TMA.
As the sixth president of TMA Brazil, Fabiano does not rest on the chapter’s past successes but is a motivating force who sees the future, seizing on it by looking for ways to enhance member value at the chapter level and support the regional understanding and collective power of TMA.
With a look towards bringing the TMA members of Brazil more opportunities in their professional journey, Fabiano is already looking at bringing together leaders and members of TMA Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico and sees future opportunities there, as well as connections more globally with the goal of having the international symposium be part of the Brazil Congress experience as he brings the TMA professionals of Brazil closer together as together we show the world what it means to be better together through TMA.
Thank you Fabiano for leadership that is thoughtful and acts as a guiding light for industry excellence by putting the people, power and presence of TMA in a leading position in South America and an example of industry, and TMA excellence, throughout the world.
As always, thanks for taking the time to listen today. And thanks again to our TMA CEO Speaks exclusive sponsor, Second Wind Consultants, for your support of TMA and this podcast.
As TMA Lights The Way, your input is critical, your contributions paramount, and your engagement the foundation that will create a better TMA for all of our members.
Until next time, I’m Scott Stuart. Be safe, resilient and TMA Proud, and as the colors of the rainbow shine brightly this weekend, as we celebrate the power and importance of acceptance and inclusiveness, Happy Pride.