Minutes of CEO Network Meeting Held On Wednesday, 11th of July 2007
27th International Epilepsy Congress – Singapore
Present at the meeting
Robert Cole, Australia
Orla Gilroy, Hong Kong
Dr Christoph Pachlatko, Switzerland
Carol Ireland, Australia
Sari Tervonen, Finland
Carol D’Souza, India
Mike Glynn, Ireland
Russell Pollard, Australia
Michael Alexi, Austria
Philip Lee, Britain
Jonina Bjorg Gudmunds, Iceland
Sherman Goh, Singapore
Tan Kok Siong, Singapore (recorder)
Absent with apologies:
Susanne Lund, Sweden
1.0Sherman Goh welcomed all attendees and invited them to introduce themselves and their respective organizations.
2.0Network of CEOs of Epilepsy Centres
2.1Dr Christoph gave a presentation on the European Association of Epilepsy Centres:
- Epilepsy Centres consist of long stay and short stay units;
- Background and history of European Association of Epilepsy Centres;
- Purposes of European Association of Epilepsy Centres;
- Summary of topics discussed during the last meeting in Jan 2007.
2.2Dr Christoph was in favour of creating an international platform for directors of epilepsy centres. He spoke about the foundation of an international association of epilepsy centres.
2.3Attendees shared about the epilepsy centres, residential care of people with epilepsy and epilepsy related services in their respective countries.
3.0Screening, Selection and Performance Evaluation of Board Members
3.1All agreed that it is important to have careful processes of selection of Board members, and well documented roles and duties for them.
3.2There should be job profiles for Board members.
3.3Board members should ideally come from a good mix of professional backgrounds.
3.4Robert Cole shared his experience of an evaluation process of Board members with the help of external consultants.
3.5There is a need for broad expertise on a Board to tackle a broad spectrum of issues.
3.6Some attendees shared information about the composition of Boards, lengths of terms of offices, modes of operation and election processes of Board members in their own countries.
3.7Carol Ireland touched briefly on the issue of succession planning of Boards.
4.0Successful Fundraising Initiatives
4.1Fundraising is crucial especially if there is no government funding.
4.2Attendees shared about the fundraising initiatives in their respective countries; some of the fundraising modes include the sale of charity lottery tickets, direct mailers and special events.
4.3Most attendees agreed that there is a need for professional fundraisers.
4.4It is necessary to keep changing fundraising initiatives to keep them fresh.
4.5Big charities usually suck up the bulk of public donations; it is a challenge to raise as much funds as possible and be realistic.
4.6There was a discussion about fundraising through electronic modes.
4.7Some of the attendees shared on the experiences and associated problems of face-to-face fundraising.
4.8Data privacy legislations in some countries impose additional restrictions on charities raising funds through telemarketing.
5.0Corporate Branding and Its Impact on Fundraising and Raising Awareness
5.1Attendees discussed the concept of “brand” as not being just logos and symbols, but also image and what it stands for.
5.2Philip Lee shared his experience of British Epilepsy Association’s corporate branding efforts.
5.3Attendees then shared their own experiences of the protection of brands with copyrights and trademarks.
5.4There was a discussion on the terminologies related to epilepsy and their connotations.
5.5Attendees shared about the publicity campaigns and initiatives to raise awareness of epilepsy in their own countries.
5.6They then discussed the use of slogans in publicity and branding efforts.
6.0All present thanked Sherman Goh for organizing the meeting, and expressed hope that there would be more of such opportunities to share in future. The meeting closed on a pleasant note.