The Surveyors Journal Spring

Page 12

THE POWER OF REPRESENTATION NEW SCSI CEO SHIRLEY COULTER SPEAKS ABOUT HER AIMS FOR THE SOCIETY, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL MEMBER ORGANISATIONS.

S

hirley Coulter brings over 14 years

on what members need from their professional

organisations face, such as the need to avoid

of experience in professional

organisation, and how best to provide it:

being too ‘Dublin-centric’, and to be relevant

member organisations to her

“I’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t work

and appeal to different age cohorts and

new role as CEO of the SCSI (see panel).

as well. What has to be key is that member

genders, but for Shirley, there’s also a

At the time of our interview, she’s been in

focus, the ‘member first’ outlook, because our

‘squeezed middle’ that can sometimes be

situ for just six weeks, but says this experience,

whole raison d'être is to serve members, in the

neglected:

and the welcome she’s received from members

public interest”.

struggling to find a work-life balance,

and staff, has made the transition a very

She knows that it’s not necessarily the ‘big

who have been caught up in some of the

pleasant one: “It feels familiar, even though

ticket’ issues that concern members: “The real

repercussions of the economic downturn and

it’s a different industry. Also, from the minute

issues are the ones that affect their day-to-day

still may be impacted by that. There’s a

that

announced,

working lives. We can add value in lots of ways,

whole generation there that I think, as the

people have reached out, which I hugely

at a very high level, and we will continue to do

profession’s representative body, we need

appreciate”.

that, but really, it’s about tuning in to how can

to be tapping into and they are quite difficult to

Shirley plans to use her experience to good

we help members in a very practical way”.

engage because they are busy with childcare,

effect in her new role, with an emphasis firmly

She sees the challenges that member

or elderly parents. They are definitely a focus”.

the

appointment

was

INTERVIEW Ann-Marie Hardiman Managing Editor, Think Media

12

SURVEYORS JOURNAL Volume 10, Issue 1, Spring 2020

“People

who

are

maybe


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