President's Letter - December 2020

President’s Letter – Reflecting on and Celebrating our 2020 Journey

2020. Just saying the year evokes a whole gamut of conflicting thoughts and emotions. On the one hand, here at the IIBA Ottawa-Outaouais Chapter, we’ve had an incredible programming year and our volunteer and community involvement has never been better. 2020 called on us to take the time to improve ourselves and give to others, and we embraced that wholeheartedly.  On the other hand, what a roller coaster, demanding the most of our resilience, grit and perseverance at home, at work and in volunteering for the Chapter.

Our Community’s Engagement

We saw our event registrations double and triple, with people joining us from around the world. We were bowled over by the outstanding involvement in and feedback from our first conference, Capital BA Day. We had an incredible lineup of dedicated speakers for all of our events, who faced the challenges of remote presentations with the utmost composure and professionalism. Our attendees were understanding and engaged as we learned the different platforms and presentation techniques to make their online experience the best possible. And finally, our generous sponsors stuck by us so that we could continue to offer our programming to our community (and beyond).

Our Leadership Team and Conference Committee

Over the course of this year, our leadership team evolved from a 10-member Board of Directors to a team of VPs and Deputies that is now 22 strong! (And we’re still growing.) We are also lucky to have a committee of 7 people who remained on task for a year and a half to successfully deliver our conference.

The dedication and commitment of all of these individuals has led to our winning the IIBA Global Leadership Excellence Award.  This award goes to a Chapter that creates opportunities for leadership growth for its members and that increases the Chapter’s maturity through good governance, operational fortitude and strategic planning.

Congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to the entire team; it’s a well-deserved award!

Thanks to You

Finally, thanks to every one of you, the members of our IIBA Ottawa-Outaouais business analysis community. We appreciate the many ways that you have supported our efforts and paid it forward to your fellow business analysts.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, with time for rest, rejuvenation, and quality time with those you love.  Looking forward to seeing you at our Holiday Social on December 15 and to enjoying time with you in the New Year!
 

Christina Abbott
President
IIBA Ottawa-Outaouais Chapter