Budding young talent on APM Board

APM are continuously looking to develop the next generation of project managers, from student membership and a suite of qualifications through to specific branch events and the development of a Higher Apprenticeship in project management.

Going one step further APM have appointed a promising rising star in the world of project management as an intern Board member. As a trustee of APM and full voting member of the Board, Fernande van Schelle (pictured right) will hold the role for one year.

Following approval of the role in September 2011 Fernande took up the opportunity proposed by Board member Mary McKinlay for the younger generation of APM members to gain experience and develop skills they would not usually be able to acquire until they were much further on in their careers.

Currently working for information systems giant Thales as a sub contract manager, Fernande will look to bring new ideas and fresh outlook to APM while acquiring a broader set of skills and deeper understanding of how organisations work. Fernande is looking to help on APMs engagement with the new and young project management community. For me, the key to achieving the APM goal of delivering all projects successfully on a long-term basis lies in the recruitment, development and education of new and young project managers into the profession, she said.

To achieve that we need to engage with them on terms they recognise, identify with, and from which they receive benefit in the development of their careers.

Mary Mckinlay was incredibly pleased with the response to her request for volunteers for this role resulting in a difficult task to decide between the nine candidates. Mary said: Fernande was chosen because of the work that she was already doing and her support to APM. Her personal statement reflected her enthusiasm and willingness to work hard. Thales is supportive and this is very important to enable Fernande to take full part. Her first outing as a Board member was to the Branch Forum and she made a great impact there with her contribution. I think that this is excellent news for APM and shows us as looking forward.

As a founding member of the Thames Valley branch Young and New Project Managers group Fernande believes the branch structure represents the best way for engaging and recruiting younger APM members, therefore sustaining the long-term development of the Association.

She adds: Performing a role on the APM Board will allow me to gain a further understanding of APM governance and structure. I would take this understanding back to the New and Young Project Managers community and reinvest this knowledge in strengthening our group.

I would look to discover what transferable attributes make our group successful and how this can be employed in other APM regions.

Mary finished off by saying: I hope that she enjoys her year and am really looking forward to working with her.