Image of a cyclist riding on a hilly round through beautiful countryside.

Remembrance of the future

A message from AMT’s directors

We imagine that most of you have experienced déjà vu many times throughout life – a place, a situation, a conversation that feels weirdly familiar, even though it’s a new experience.

But what about déjà vu’s lesser-known sibling, jamais vu? Jamais vu is that eerie sense of experiencing something for the first time, despite rationally knowing that you have experienced it before.

Reviewing the recent past

Over the past few months, we have been undertaking a comprehensive review of AMT’s operational structure. This kind of organisational introspection is crucial to ensuring that AMT continues to appropriately support members in their professional lives, and that AMT itself continues to prosper and thrive as the leading voice in the massage therapy industry.

As you may recall, 2023 saw the Association trialing a new management structure, replacing the role of CEO, and distributing leadership responsibilities across a team of three managerial staff.

The review process has shown that this distributed leadership model was not workable or sustainable for AMT, both from a budget and organisational perspective.

So here we are with an eerie feeling of déjà vu, as we embark on a restructure process in 2024 to establish a durable operational model that can support AMT’s vision, mission and values long into the future.

Au revoir and thank you

Sadly, we’ve had to make hard decisions as part of this process, including a redundancy.

We would like to acknowledge Liz Sharkey’s contributions as Project Manager on the management team. We appreciate her past efforts and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Back to the future

This restructure opens up a realm of opportunities for AMT to reinvest in our core mission and strategic objectives. For starters, we’ll be reaching out to members throughout 2024 for feedback on AMT’s strategic plan which is due for renewal in 2025.

Here are some other things we are excited about:

  • Launching AMT’s rejigged classified research database. This time around, it’s AI enhanced, making massage therapy research more accessible than it’s ever been. This kind of resource is crucial to AMT’s ongoing advocacy with health funds, government bodies and other industry stakeholders. We know many members have found the current classified research database format incredibly helpful in their dealings with workers’ compensation bodies and other third-party payers.
  • Holding AMT’s first ever hybrid conference: We’re excited about this but it’s going to be a bit of a scramble because, in our effort to make the event accessible, safe and cost effective for all members, we’re way behind schedule with planning. This innovative new approach to AMT’s traditional conference model will allow delegates to attend either face to face or remotely. Wish us luck as we race to pull it together!
  • Renewing our relationship with members:  It’s been an epic puzzle trying to figure out how best to reach out to members, with the long shadow of the pandemic changing how everyone interacts long after the crisis phase. Your input and engagement have always been the lifeblood of AMT. We’ll be leaning on your support and participation more than usual as we navigate this new round of changes. We invite you to recommit to our shared vision and contribute your ideas, expertise, and enthusiasm to our collective future.
Image of a replica Delorean motor car from the film "Back to the Future".

The future doesn’t always end up looking like we think it will but, you’ve got to admit, an AMT Delorean could really take us places …

Jamais vu again

Do not adjust your television set!

To lead us through this next phase, we have engaged former CEO, Rebecca Barnett, in an interim Executive Officer role. Beck will assist with the ongoing restructure process, including helping to recruit a permanent Executive Officer to lead AMT into that glorious future we remember.

If you’re feeling that eerie sense of experiencing something for the first time despite rationally knowing that you have experienced it before, you are not alone! Beck to the future so to speak (cough cough).

Contact us … no really, do!

We understand that change can bring about uncertainty, and we are here to address any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to reach out via email or phone (02 9211 2441) for further discussion or clarification. Change is challenging and a bit terrifying but it’s also a powerful catalyst for growth and innovation. We’re profoundly grateful to have you with us on this journey, as we continue to set new benchmarks. Thank you for your unwavering support of AMT’s shared mission.

Warmly,

Kristy Baird, Ian Lim, Dan Wonnocott, Youjung Suh and Thea Dillon.

Cover image courtesy of Aftab Uzzaman

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much Liz Sharkey for your valuable contributions and for the ongoing dedication from all the management team. It is highly appreciated. A big welcome back and thanks to Beck for assisting with the new restructure going forward.

  2. Thank you to Liz Sharkey, for helping me navigate through 2023, such an eventful year with floods and all that came with it, will miss her support greatly.
    Wish her all the best with her future adventures
    Welcome back Beck, I’m sure your will head us in the right direction for the future.

    Sincerely Roz x

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