CEO Message - First Month in Office!

Angelina Pillai , 27 February 2019

New CEO Angelina Pillai reviews her first month at the helm of the ACA.

February 2019 started with a bang for me! After accepting the offer to take up the leadership position at the ACA, I was treated to a series of warm welcomes, kind introductions and the customary workplace orientation.

The initiation continued into my second week, which involved my first national executive committee (NEC) meeting where members of the NEC, branch executive officers and friends of the ACA gathered in Melbourne for a two-day meeting and a jam-packed agenda.

Some of the highlights of the meeting included an opportunity to connect first hand with the respective Chairs and CEOs of both the Australian Institute of Architects and ArchiTeam, signalling a positive commitment by all parties to collaborate more strategically.

We are also pleased to announce the engagement of our first research director, Dr Peter Raisbeck, who will be working with the ACA team in securing funding for pertinent research projects. His engagement will also see us establishing a research steering group to guide the direction, topics and overall research strategy.

Meanwhile, the annual Salary Survey is about to hit the inboxes of members this month, and I encourage you to complete this important survey. The more responses we receive, the more meaningful the data for us to report on and benchmark. In other updates, the ACA has also inserted a new membership category in the ACA Constitution, being 8A –Service Affiliate Members and we welcome the Association of Australasian Acoustical Consultants as our inaugural Affiliate member.

I would like to thank the ACA team, under the leadership of our national president John Held, for their outstanding contribution, generous insights, robust dialogue and valuable counsel during the NEC meeting in Melbourne. The ACA has a long road ahead if we are to continue creating value for our members and the profession at large, but I am confident we have the right mix of expertise and talent to deliver.

As I uncover the world of architecture, I am truly privileged to not only have been appointed ACA’s first CEO, but to be joining the association during a pivotal phase. The diligence of the committees and their members, working tirelessly towards enhancing the value and practice of architecture needs to be recognised. They are volunteers, yet their contribution to the profession since 1987 has been exemplary.

As an outsider looking in, I am in awe of the work that’s been done and the work we continue to do. The past five years alone has seen ACA membership increase by 100%; a successful shift in the ACA agenda from purely industrial relations to a membership peak body supporting the business of architecture; and now we are set to consolidate, segment our market and create member value where value is needed most.

No doubt there are big plans ahead and I have big shoes to fill (ironic!), but I am up for the challenge and I invite you, as members, to connect with us, engage with us and help us … help you.

This month, the ACA is launching our new Chat Forum, which gives members the chance to ask questions and share knowledge, challenges and experiences. We would love to hear from you, so please sign up to the ACA Chat Forum and join in the conversation.

As International Women’s Day approaches, I’ve also taken some time to reflect on my own upbringing, the importance of seeing strong women in leadership, and the need to push for basic human rights for all.