Dear members,

One of the greatest privileges I have as AIA President is the opportunity to meet with AIA members and key stakeholders in the profession. 2010 afforded me the opportunity to travel throughout the UK and overseas and it was a pleasure and an honour to meet so many fellow members; crucially it was also important to hear firsthand that there is a synergy of purpose and mutual respect between our members and AIA.

I was pleased to learn of AIA’s recognition by the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). I believe it is important that a nationally recognised framework exists for qualifications and that awarding bodies are assessed independently against standardised criteria. AIA’s recognition within this framework complements and underpins our status as a Recognised Qualifying Body under the UK Companies Act 2006.

It has been largely recognised that developments in China and India provide enormous opportunities in trade, commerce and services. After many years of hard work we consolidated our position in India and have been successful in establishing strong links with colleges, businesses and other professional bodies. AIA has also established new courses and study providers in China, offering new routes to membership, which is expected to result in increased student numbers.

We have also worked to ensure that our members are properly represented and we continue to work in consultation with government, regulators, standard-setters and other institutes around the world to make certain our voice is heard on all matters that affect the profession.

Conscious that our members are increasingly using new technology to communicate, we have also continued to utilise new methods of communication and have increased our use of social media, online learning and e-Publications and webinars. AIA launched a full suite of e-Books through BBP Learning Media for each paper in the AIA professional qualification, providing a quick and easy way for students to study and allowing instant access to the study material they need.

Your Council presides over the AIA and its activities but it is the hard work and commitment of our staff, branches and partners that facilitate the achievements we have made; the success achieved is largely due to them.

I believe we have made great progress extending the role of the AIA globally throughout the year and continue to do so whilst maintaining our good standing in the UK and all our other established jurisdictions.

I was honoured to be re-elected President of AIA in 2010 and to be assisted by my joint Vice Presidents and my fellow Council Members, all of whom give a large amount of their time to further the objectives of AIA and the profession as a whole. We are all committed to taking AIA further forward throughout 2011 and beyond and further improve the status and good standing of all members.

Regards,

Andrew Lamb

President