14 September 2007

PMI Gains Prominent Attention Among World Business Leaders at Forbes CEO Conference in Singapore

PMI’s position as the world's leading association for the project management profession was reinforced with 400 business leaders at the Forbes Global CEO Conference that was held in Singapore on 9–12 September. Hosted by Forbes magazine, the conference drew chief executive officers from the Asia-Pacific region. PMI was a principal sponsor of the event.

The theme for the conference was “Drivers of Success,” and project management and PMI were positioned as keys to driving success, because project management helps organizations to achieve predictable, repeatable and profitable results.

Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, and PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero

At the opening event, PMI CEO Gregory Balestrero was seated with U. S. Ambassador to Singapore Patricia Herbold and Forbes magazine President, CEO and Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes who was the featured speaker. Mr. Forbes recognized PMI several times in his remarks noting the importance of PMI’s role in advancing the work of project managers and establishing standards and credentials for them.

In his remarks at the conference, Mr. Balestrero emphasized that to stay competitive, businesses must innovate and adapt to change. “Innovation is not optional," he said quoting Dealing with Darwin author Geoffrey Moore. “To survive, organizations must gain stakeholder confidence and support by demonstrating an ability to innovate and deal with cyclical inertia.”

He went on to say that through the discipline of project management, companies can meet the needs of customers by delivering on promises predictably and repeatedly. He called upon companies to be socially responsible in addressing local concerns such as human rights, poverty and the environment.

Additionally during the conference, Mr. Balestrero appeared on worldwide television. The first appearance was on the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and then on CNBC (Consumer News and Business Channel). In both interviews, he commented on the growing need for companies to deliver quality and safe products and how project management standards can be applied to improving planning, coordination, communications and production quality controls.

Attendees of the Forbes Global CEO Conference. From left: PMI Board Vice Chair Philip R. Diab, MBA, PMP, PMI Board Chair Linda Vella, PMP and PMI past Board Chair Iain Fraser, FPMINZ, PMP.

PMI Board Chair Linda Vella, PMP, Board Vice Chair Philip Diab, MBA, PMP, and past Board Chair Iain Fraser, Fellow FPMINZ, PMP along with a few PMI support staff, also participated in the conference. This is the third year that PMI has been a principal sponsor for the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Asia.