18 May 2006

New Chairman Announced at Annual General Meeting

Respected Brisbane banking identity John Hoey FAIM has been named as the new Chairman of the Australian Institute of Management - Queensland and Northern Territory.

AIM Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Barker AM FAIM, who announced the appointment following the Institute's Annual General Meeting yesterday, said Mr Hoey was an ideal choice for the role.

"John Hoey is currently the General Manager for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia – Qld and NT, responsible for Retail Banking, Financial and Insurance Services spanning a vast regional network," Ms Barker said.

"AIM Qld & NT has the highest membership base per capita in the national network but the sheer geographical distance between centres makes it a continual challenge to meet the varying needs of all our members.

"John has been a fellow of AIM since 1998 so he understands our organisational goals as well as our regional imperatives.

"He is passionate about preparing for the future, whether by finding new ways of learning such as web-based seminars, retaining top staff through the looming skills shortage, or taking a not for profit organisation into the commercial arena.

"Having been in the financial sector for so many years, John is also very up to date on and serious about proper governance, which is very important for the Institute," Ms Barker said.

Mr Hoey said it was an honour to be appointed Chairman of AIM Qld & NT.

"Significant challenges face managers and leaders competing in a global market where the barriers are being pushed back by the momentum of digitisation," he said.

"I look forward to working with the Board and the AIM team in meeting these challenges and continuing to position the Institute as a respected voice for leadership excellence, management innovation and career development."

Mr Hoey is a career banker with more than thirty years' industry experience. Within his role at the Commonwealth Bank he is responsible for approximately 2300 employees.

He is committed to community engagement and oversees partnerships for the Bank with Education Queensland, Queensland Art Gallery, the RSL and Opera Queensland.

Ms Barker said Mr Hoey had served the AIM board for six years and was a unanimous decision for Chairman.

"We are proud to have an outstanding Board made up of influential men and women from both the private and public sectors," Ms Barker said.

She also paid tribute to outgoing Chairman, Ergon Energy Executive Keith Hilless FAIM.

As an organisation AIM encourages succession planning and under the Institute's own corporate governance model, the Chairman must step down after two years. A longstanding Board member of the Institute, Mr Hilless announced at his election in 2004 that he would pay particular attention to issues affecting rural and remote managers

"Managers in rural and remote areas have a wealth of information to exchange with our city members and I will endeavour to implement strategies which take into account their specific needs and interests," Mr Hilless said.

Mr Hilless said the Institute's focus on e-learning through TheCyberInstitute was pivotal in terms of addressing the tyranny of distance for rural managers. Since this time the web-based arm of AIM has gone from strength to strength, offering 60 management and leadership courses and pioneering new ways of learning including management blogs and online group seminars.

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