Announcing the first APMP ANZ Mentoring Program

We are delighted to launch the first ever APMP ANZ Mentoring Program.

We are now accepting applications for both mentor and mentee positions. A mentor can be the secret weapon you need to get ahead at work.

For potential mentees, this is a great opportunity for you to connect with a mentor who can offer insight, advice, opportunity – and help you navigate the next stage/s of your career.

For potential mentors, this is a great opportunity for you to give back to your industry, become an even better leader, and refine your own skills and networks.

APMP is the worldwide authority for professionals dedicated to the process of winning business through proposals, bids, tenders and presentations.

Spaces are limited for the first group/cohort of mentors and mentees – so make sure to sign up right now.

For more information and to download the application form, click here. 

APMP Board of Directors 2020/21

We are delighted to announce that our own APMP ANZ Vice Chair, Felix Becker has been nominated to serve on the APMP Board. The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP®) confirmed that six members would be joining its Board of Directors effective January 1, 2020 and serving through December 31, 2021. 

The six new Board members are:

  • Jody Alves, of the Nor’easters Chapter and IGT in Providence, Rhode Island, USA
  • Felix Becker, CP APMP of the ANZ Chapter and SAP in Sydney, Australia
  • Alison Coon, CF APMP of the Liberty Chapter and Guardian Life Insurance Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Patrick Gueth, CF APMP, of the DACH Chapter and DSV Panalpina A/S in Basel, Switzerland
  • Blake Inkster, CP APMP, of the Maple Leaf Chapter and Goodmans LLP in Toronto, Canada
  • Melissa Smith, CPP APMP of the UK Chapter and Harmonic LTD in London, England


“We can call ourselves a truly global association today,” said Ginny Carson CPP APMP, of Life Cycle Engineering and the Carolinas Chapter of the association. “Four of our six new Board members are from outside the United States, and five of our 15 Board members are global. One of our long-term strategies from our 2019 Strategic Plan is to expand internationally, and we are happy that members throughout the world take the opportunity to lead. This global representation on our board of directors will allow APMP to take an international perspective to all of our activities and decisions,” she said.

In all, 55 nominees submitted their ballot to the APMP Board Nominating Committee last month and were asked to provide an essay describing how they would help APMP International and the industry grow in the coming years.  Fifteen finalists were then selected for final voting by the Board of Directors based on the same criteria.  The top six candidates have been invited to fill the open spots on the APMP Board starting on January 1, 2020.  All have agreed to do so.

The six new members will join nine other Board members, including Mike Walsh, CF APMP, of Ernst & Young, who will serve as APMP Chair in 2020 and will lead APMP Board members.

“APMP’s Strategic Plan is in place, and there is a strong desire for APMP to maximize its global reach in the areas of new membership, best practices, conferences, and certification,” said Mr. Walsh.  “We have a clear mandate from our Board, and I look forward to leading APMP’s continued global expansion.”

A Fantastic Year for Certification in Our Region

2019 has seen the largest number of people achieve one of the three certification levels than any other year in our Chapter history. All in all, 60 of our members have achieved some level of certification this year: 46 Foundation, 11 Practitioner and 3 Professional. There are now 183 people with certification in our Chapter. You can see the excellent growth in the chart below. That’s the good news.

But this still means that way more than half of our Chapter members have no certification level at all. So, why not make APMP certification your professional goal in 2020? There will be more opportunities to do that than ever before with both Foundation and Practitioner workshops plus the introduction of a mentoring program. 

Certification Workshops for 2020


More certification workshops are currently being planned for 2020, as follows:

Foundation: This is an intensive all-day workshop that prepares you for the 1 hour Foundation paper based exam, which is taken at the end of the day. You get told your result before you leave. The cost for the course (for APMP members) is $1,000 plus GST. This cost includes the $550 exam fee but excludes the APMP Proposal Certification Study Guide (BOK Edition), which should be purchased in advance online from the APMP bookstore (www.apmp.org).

Practitioner:  This is a new workshop for our Chapter. It is a 3 hour information session about the new 2.5 hour on-line exam. It runs through a practice case study and the types of questions in the exam. Each workshop will be held near the end of the day to minimise impact on work schedules. The cost is yet to be decided but will be a nominal fee only to cover some materials and a venue.

The schedule for Foundation workshops for the first half of 2020 are shown in the table below (subject to minimum numbers). Practitioner workshop dates (and cost) are currently being worked out and will be published in the new year. The certification workshops are all run by Nigel Dennis CPP APMP Fellow.

The dates for the Foundation workshops for the rest of the year are as follows:

Certification Mentoring Program
One of the best ways for professional development and growth is to have a mentor. So, in 2020 the APMP ANZ Chapter will be introducing a formal (but not onerous) mentoring program for all three certification levels.  This will be modelled on successful programs that other Chapters around the world are using.  More information will be published early next year. 

Foundation Success

There have two more Foundation workshops held since our last newsletter. So congratulations to the following people who all passed the exam

Perth (3rd December): Susan Danford, Catherine Salter, Rhona MacLean, Benn Rayner

Brisbane (10th December): Heloise Freeman, Krystal Giacomantonio, Bradley Misso, Aleshia Mudge, Nicola Nixon, Andrew Robinson, Lyndell Thompson, Railene Turner-Rose

Spread Your News on APMP’s WinningtheBusiness.com

APMP offers a variety of ways you can connect with other members to learn, to network and to share common experiences. Now we’re extending this sense of community to WinningtheBusiness.com, the premier industry content source for bid, proposal, business development and capture professionals.

We are collecting your news on:

    • People — Share your promotions, job changes and professional achievements.
    • Products — Give us the rundown on new products and how they can help your APMP peers.
    • Industry news and announcements — Provide information on new initiatives and tell us about your wins. Share with our community your team’s successes.

Here’s what we need:

    • A high-resolution headshot, product photo or company logo
    • Up to 150 words telling us about your professional update or describing the product or news announcement
    • Any relevant hyperlinks or contact information

Submit all materials to APMP Managing Editor Frances Moffett at frances.moffett@apmp.org.

Conference Update

Two months ago, 170 proposal professionals from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East came together in Melbourne to celebrate our industry and learn how each of us can make a difference. Delegates were treated to presentations from some exceptional international speakers, as well as some fantastic local content from our Australian tribe.

A highlight was hearing from APMP’s global CEO Rick Harris, who braved a long-haul flight from Washington DC to learn why the ANZ conference has such a good reputation internationally. Thanks to our keynote presentation by Mike Parkinson, we also have a better understanding of the value of a good infographic. Here is our 2019 conference in numbers:

If you want to see what all the fuss is about, join us for the 2020 APMP ANZ conference in Sydney next August 26-27.

Message from the Chair | October 2019

The APMP ANZ chapter is gaining momentum, with a dedicated leadership group and active membership base. We discussed this with APMP Global CEO at the recent APMP ANZ conference in Melbourne, who was as excited as we are about the possibilities for our future direction.

Rick has encouraged the chapter leadership group to focus on creating value for our local membership base and tailor global offerings for the region. We started this process at the beginning of the year and are soon meeting to define plans for 2020. We always welcome feedback and ideas so please get in touch if there are ways we can help your membership work harder for you.The new member campaign was launched this month with a special offer of 15 months for the price of 12, as well as amazing prizes for existing members who refer a friend. Winners will be announced on 31 October. To find out more or get involved please click here.

Thank you again for your attendance and support of the APMP ANZ conference ‘make an impact’. The event was such a success that we plan to do it all again on 26 and 27 August 2020 in Sydney. A lot of creativity, inspiration and perspiration goes into making the conference happen so if you are interested in being behind the scenes next year, please get in touch as part of the committee nomination process.We are currently calling for nominations for the 2020 committee, looking for people who are just as passionate about APMP and our industry as the current leadership group. To nominate, please contact me via chair@apmpanz.org and tell us how you would bring value as part of the APMP ANZ leadership group.

I attended an APMP networking event in Perth this week. It was great to see so many familiar faces and take part in Nigel Dennis’ Foundation Certification quiz (I got most of them right, Nigel!). The event reinforced the fantastic community that has been built in the APMP ANZ chapter and that despite competing with each other at times, we are also able to support each other in our career journeys. If you regularly travel within the region, sign up to hear about upcoming events in each location or keep an eye on the Networking Events section of our website so that you’re not alone when interstate.

Karina Ames
APMP ANZ Chair