'Impact of project management is far reaching' - APM chairman

The impact of project management continues to grow and the benefits of our profession to society are increasingly evident, says APM chairman. 

Steve Wake, who continues in his role as chairman of the association following the recent board election, took the opportunity to celebrate a time of great change at the APM Project Management Awards on Monday 2 November in London.

Steve (pictured) stated that “during the last General Election campaign a headline policy for the new government was an undertaking to achieve efficiencies by managing big projects better.”

He went on to highlight “the challenges of sustaining economies, living with climate change, security, technology and globalisation make the profession of managing change more crucial than ever before”.

The UK government is investing in a portfolio of projects and programmes including Crossrail, High Speed 2 (HS2), Thames Tideway Tunnel and airport capacity, all involving many of our profession.

“Society benefits from project management,” Steve stated. “Our world requires people able to deliver and innovate, efficiently, effectively and professionally.”

This year’s APM Honorary Fellowships, presented at the awards ceremony, highlight the breadth and reach of project management today. 

Not only is our profession changing, APM continues to transform to meet these challenges. Steve spoke of the changes and improvements this year including the new senior management team which includes new chief executive Sara Drake, and the £1.5million investment programme to provide career paths that will draw in and develop talented people into our profession.

Reflecting on a successful year Steve said: “We’ve had a successful decade crowned by a year in which APM achieved record numbers of members, qualification takers and revenue.

“It enjoyed a sold out conference and awards, and won Best UK Association of the Year at the Association Excellence Awards.”

In conclusion Steve said: “Our success is the result of staff, board members, volunteers, specialist advisors and friends working together for a common purpose. It is success that everyone who contributes to APM should take great pride in.”