BRM Institute Growth and Expansion
Over the last several years, the corporate functions of IT, HR, Finance, and Legal have been on a journey to position themselves as more business value-focused, evolving from cost-centric service providers (shared services) to converged strategic partners. Simultaneously, the business increasingly shares accountability for setting strategy and achieving business value. To be successful, these organizations must leverage a cross-organizational business relationship management (BRM) capability. We here at Business Relationship Management Institute (BRM Institute) provide the methodology, develop the latest knowledge, and offer the professional development and certification programs necessary to equip individual BRMs and their organizations with the right skills and tools needed to maximize financial business value results.
Companies continue to experience great success eliminating silos and leveraging their BRM capabilities to sharpen focus on financial business value results. BRM Institute Professional Membership and our professional development and certification programs continue to enjoy rapid adaption, supported by fast growth in our global BRM community. Now we are over 14,000 members strong, with members located in more than 40 countries! Energized by the global surge in awareness of the value and benefits of the BRM capability, we are thrilled to announce that we have grown rapidly with the support and guidance of BRMs and organizations around the globe. In order to support and empower its growth, we recently expanded our Board of Directors, Executive Council, and BRM Council.
Newest additions to our Board of Directors include Wanda Washington, Joe Topinka, and Ronn Faigen. Wanda Washington is an accomplished attorney with over 25 years of legal experience, and she brings great expertise in the protection of intellectual property and U.S. corporate tax. As a well-respected authority on business relationship management, Joe Topinka is also the Vice Chair of our Executive Council, as well as a published author, coach, mentor, and CIO. He was recently named Charlotte’s CIO of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. Ronn Faigen has also been instrumental in BRM Institute’s global expansion as the General Manager of APMG U.S, which uniquely positions him to work with Registered Providers worldwide to teach and certify BRMs. Aaron Barnes and Aleksandr Zhuk, co-founders and co-creators of BRM Institute, will continue their roles on the Board of Directors.
Additionally, our Executive Council (BEC) will now benefit under new leadership. Led by Leigh Ann Thomas, a BRM professional and expert in business process reengineering, the purpose of the BEC is to provide executive thought leadership in implementing and maximizing BRM capabilities worldwide. The goal is to shape, improve, and advance the BRM discipline and profession.
As an advisory board consisting of BRM team leaders who are passionate about making an impact in their organizations and the global BRM community, the BRM Council has also experienced 400% growth in 2015. The Council leaders are Stephanie Walsh, BRMP Chair; Arnie Wetherill, BRMP Vice Chair; Terrence Jones, BRMP Vice Chair; Deryl Heitman, BRMP Vice Chair; and Jeremy Byrne, Vice Chair. The purpose of the Council is to work in tandem with the BRM Institute Leadership Team and the BEC, in order to advance the maturity of the BRM role and BRM communities worldwide.
On a related note, Derek Storbakken of Service Management Art has taken on the role of Chief Examiner for the existing Business Relationship Management (BRMP) qualification and the developing Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM) qualification. Working on behalf of APMG-International in conjunction with BRM Institute and various Registered Providers, his focus is to ensure that these qualifications, courses, and examinations are of the highest quality, remain meaningful to the profession, and stay aligned to the latest knowledge that is captured in the BRMiBOK.
These changes and additions to BRM Institute leadership are reflective of the global increased recognition and adoption of business relationship management as a business capability and business role. BRM Institute’s initial training and certifications, the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP), is receiving exceptional support from organizations and BRMs around the globe. Many companies are now requiring/preferring BRMP certifications. BRM Institute continues to hone the practitioner course, the Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM), and we target a Q2 2016 release of this professional development course.
Lastly (but certainly not least!), in an effort to mirror the growth of our membership community, BRM Institute will be hosting BRMConnect 2016, the world’s only BRM conference, in four international locations across the world! BRMConnect aims to add a layer of value to your career and organization by pairing an unforgettable social experience with critical learning moments, as you position yourself as a BRM expert and connect with peers. Register now to attend BRMConnect in one (or all!) of the four locations.
Through all of the aforementioned efforts, we will continue to bring the best knowledge possible in the BRM discipline, the most up-to-date information to the global BRM community, resulting in real-world impact in organizations worldwide.