For the past two years, Andrew Sharrad has been carrying out the role of International President. In what is traditionally a one-year tenure was made two years for Andrew due to the Covid pandemic which restricted him in his role and duties. The Board of Trustee Directors wanted to give Andrew the opportunity to fulfil his role as International President and so extended his tenure for a second year to enable this to happen. We spoke to Andrew in his final weeks as International President to find out more about his time in the role.
What have you been involved in as International President over the last 2 years?
I have been lucky to get involved with the branding project team and process through the research, design stage and the introduction of the IFE's new look and feel. This was an exciting project to be a part of.
Of course there have also been the Nominations Committee, IFE Global and the regular Executive meetings that I have been involved in alongside the Board of Trustee Directors meetings.
A great part of the role is supporting branch events. Whilst Covid stopped this initially, I was still able to virtually attend events including the London and Australia AGM, the South Africa branch AGM and conference as well as AFAC 21. More recently I was able to travel to New Zealand, the Caribbean and America for branch events.
What has been the highlight during your time as International President?
Attending the inauguration of IFE’s newest branch, CASA. The energy I experienced during this event was phenomenal and it invigorated and inspired my confidence in IFE’s future, providing me with memories that I will have for many years to come.
What was the most challenging part of the role?
Obviously Covid had a huge impact. The restriction in travel, learning to deal with the physical and emotional consequences of the new way of life and the different methods of communication for meetings, i.e. virtual and hybrid conferencing were all very challenging. Naturally the role comes with responsibilities so I quickly had to learn how to incorporate the time for these into an already busy work schedule which was made more complex with Covid staffing issues.
How have you benefitted from the role?
Being International President means more involvement with the IFE on so many levels. Through this I have a greater understanding of the processes, moving parts and the overall complexity that combines to make the IFE machine run smoothly. The friendships, contacts and memories that I have developed will be with me for the rest of my life.
What inspired you to take up the role of International President?
The privilege to volunteer my time to become more involved in an organisation that I hold in such high regard was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could not pass up. I have been inspired by so many of my mentors, many of whom have been past International Presidents. Their devotion and dedication to the IFE have left an indelible mark on me and I will be forever grateful.
Do you have a message for the incoming International President?
My sincere congratulations to a brilliant presidential candidate Peter Wilkinson. Given his previous involvement and technical knowledge of IFE plus his obvious dedication, IFE will benefit greatly from Peter’s leadership during his tenure.
I hope that many of the difficulties associated with a Covid affected world will be minimised during his term and that he will have many opportunities to spread the IFE message and goals to all parts of the globe.
On behalf of our members, volunteers and staff, we thank Andrew for everything he has done as our International President over the last two years.