{"id":3708,"date":"2023-05-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=3708"},"modified":"2023-05-16T19:31:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T09:31:11","slug":"au-revoir-but-not-goodbye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2023\/05\/17\/au-revoir-but-not-goodbye\/","title":{"rendered":"Au revoir but not goodbye"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Subhadra Gerard<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In this instalment of the blog, we publish the Chairperson’s report from the 2023 AMT Annual General Meeting. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 marked a gigantic shift in the Government approach to managing the COVID pandemic. The easing of all restrictions across the states and territories brought with it fresh challenges and new forms of unpredictability, with AMT members and the Association rapidly adapting to yet another \u201cnew normal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting members through uncertain times therefore remained our top priority in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMT continued to provide targeted assistance to members experiencing the often-overlapping challenges of the pandemic, extreme weather events, and rising cost of living pressures. And our 2022 calendar of AMT events was designed to be low cost and accessible to AMT members across the country, regardless of their geographical location or individual circumstances. With regard to that, I would like to give a special shout out to acknowledge the many AMT members who embraced the opportunity to support a colleague by paying for an extra ticket to our AMT webinars in 2022. There were notable examples of members who paid to support a colleague at every webinar they attended. We salute you! Your generosity and collegiate spirit are the lifeblood of AMT – they embody the sense of professional community that we have worked so hard to nurture. So, thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would also like to extend my thanks to AMT\u2019s preferred insurer, Fenton Green, for their sponsorship of AMT\u2019s 2022 webinar series. This financial support has been critical to AMT\u2019s viability during these challenging times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that front, the 2022 AMT financial statements show another loss-making year for the Association. We are fortunate, though, to have enough reserves to help us weather these lean years. Our reserves enabled us to hold membership dues at the same rate throughout the three years of the pandemic, in the context of rising inflation and other operational pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, with so much of our effort dedicated to nurturing and supporting members through difficult times, it is easy to overlook the impact of the pandemic years on AMT\u2019s nerve centre at Head Office. Most of the challenges faced by other small businesses have beset AMT in recent years: adapting to remote work; long hours and burnout; staff retention issues; and periods of interruption due to illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And indeed, the close of 2022 brought with it some momentous changes to the management of AMT. Yes, the rumours are true. Last December, Rebecca Barnett stepped down as AMT CEO after serving out the world\u2019s longest notice period (we have it on good authority that you\u2019ll find it listed in The Guinness Book of Records). Actually, that notice started twelve months previously during the yearly operational and performance reviews of the head office team, when Beck let it be known that it was time to step down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This long notice period enabled the Board, led by the outgoing CEO and senior staff members, to undertake a comprehensive process of reviewing job descriptions, identifying gaps, and embracing the opportunity to rejig and renew AMT\u2019s management structure. And take it from me, a lot of work and discussion went into that process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new management team has been established, comprising two AMT employees \u2013 Katie Snell and Scott Lloyd-Owen – and a new recruit to AMT, Liz Sharkey, who is already well-known to many of you. This new 3-person team has shared responsibility for the key functions of AMT. They also have the AMT Board\u2019s supreme confidence that you, the members they serve, remain in very good hands. We refer to them affectionately as the triumvirate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That brings me back to Beck. It’s hard to find the right words to appropriately acknowledge Beck\u2019s contribution to the life and culture of AMT during her tenure as Company Secretary and subsequently as CEO. A board colleague even shared recently that sometimes it feels like we need to invent words to actually describe Beck and what she has done not only for AMT, but for the whole industry, and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019m going to have a crack at it anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of AMT, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Beck for her outstanding leadership and dedication as Company Secretary and CEO. Her tireless efforts and unwavering commitment have played a crucial role in the growth and success of our organisation. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and she has been doing that in spades. It takes even more when you’re leading change and the first one to make a stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under her leadership, the Association has achieved numerous milestones, including the expansion of our membership base, the development of new educational programs, and the strengthening of our partnerships within the industry, just to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beck’s vision, expertise, and strategic guidance have inspired us all, and we are truly grateful for the years of service she devoted to AMT. She has made a lasting impact on our little massage community and has set a standard of excellence that we will continue to strive for in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope that Beck’s legacy will continue to inspire us well into the future. We wish you her all the best with whatever is around the corner, and we are confident that she will continue to achieve great things (no pressure!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you once again for everything you have done for us as CEO. Au revoir but not goodbye Beck …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am happy to report that AMT has not lost Beck entirely, or her expertise and corporate knowledge. She is staying on, part time, as AMT\u2019s Communications Manager, a \u2018backroom\u2019 role which allows her space to indulge her innate wordiness and uncanny gift for obscure vocabulary and neologism. She can also knock out a first-rate press release, or response to a government member or department in a blink. Priceless!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of the Board I\u2019d like close by saying that with change comes growth and we are excited by what the future holds for AMT. We look forward to continuing to support and represent you throughout 2023 and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About The Author<\/h4>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Subhadra Gerard is a massage therapist and occupational therapist in Perth, WA. He took on the role of Chairperson of the AMT Board of Directors in May 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this instalment of the blog, we publish the Chairperson’s report from the 2023 AMT Annual General Meeting. And we say au revoir to a friend …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,50,13,1],"tags":[165,106,897,898,34,185],"class_list":["post-3708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amt","category-members","category-news-and-events","category-uncategorized","tag-amt-annual-general-meeting","tag-amt-chairperson","tag-au-revoir","tag-changing-of-the-guard","tag-rebecca-barnett","tag-subhadra-gerard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/annual-report-23.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3636,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2022\/08\/23\/launching-amts-professional-development-standards\/","url_meta":{"origin":3708,"position":0},"title":"Launching AMT’s Professional Development Standards","author":"admin","date":"23\/08\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"AMT Chairperson, Subhadra Gerard, launches AMT's new professional development standards and waxes lyrical about professional development plans.","rel":"","context":"In "AMT"","block_context":{"text":"AMT","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/category\/amt\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-12.07.11-pm.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-12.07.11-pm.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-12.07.11-pm.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-12.07.11-pm.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.amt.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-12.07.11-pm.png?fit=1200%2C650&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":790,"url":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2018\/05\/24\/amt-agm-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":3708,"position":1},"title":"AMT’s Annual General Meeting 2018 in review","author":"admin","date":"24\/05\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2018, the AMT AGM travelled to Adelaide for the first time. 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