Philip Wood

As Philip Wood, previous Chairman of the ICS, gears up to take the presidency of the Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents next year he has made it clear that he is keen to continue with his excellent work in the field of education.

As current FONASBA President Designate, Mr Wood will assume the presidency in October 2004. As in many organisations, each FONASBA President undertakes a specific project in addition to the duties incumbent upon his office. This project may be in an area of special interest to him or on an aspect of FONASBA’s operations that he feels may require additional input. Philip Wood, as befits his long experience and involvement in ICS education, will be concentrating on developing education and training programmes suitable for the wide range of requirements, both in terms of academic level and subject matter, within the FONASBA membership. As will be readily appreciated, an international organisation spanning nearly 50 countries from the Americas to the Far East will have significantly varying requirements and the first task will be to determine how these can best be met. While in some cases it will be necessary to tap into external resources, it is clear that the ICS will retain its position as the primary provider of education to FONASBA.

Readers will recall that in 2000, John Barclay piloted the provision of lectures by internet link and Mr Wood hopes to build on this. Obviously, the significant advances in technology since then, such as widespread use of ADSL technology, should enable similar videoconferencing-based projects to be made widely available. Mr Barclay is a member of the ECASBA Education Working Group and will assist Mr Wood on this, and indeed other, educational projects. This initiative will prove to be a major opportunity for the Institute to expand its educational programmes in a new direction and hopefully will lead to many students going on to take the Institute Professional Qualifying Examinations.

Mr Wood is also coordinator of the ECASBA Education & Training Working Group. John Barclay, who has previously been both ICS Chairman and FONASBA President, is one of only two individuals granted Honorary Membership of the Federation. John Good, another former ICS Chairman, continues to lead the FONASBA Liner & Port Agency Committee and Paul Smith, a member of the London branch, is Vice Chairman of the Chartering & Documentary Committee. Both are therefore members of the Federation’s Executive Committee. Finally John Foord, ICS Federation Council Chairman, is a member of the Advisory Panel of FONASBA’s European committee, ECASBA.

This level of involvement ensures that the views of the Institute are well-represented at the highest levels. As FONASBA is effectively a trade association, most of the issues that come to its attention fall, within the ICS, into the remit of the Federation Council and it is through that body that most, but not all, of the communication takes place.

Since the end of the holiday season, the organisation has been immersed in the preparations for the 2003 annual meeting, due to take place in Istanbul in mid October. As in previous years, this will allow the membership to meet, exchange views and develop FONASBA policy for the next 12 months. Philip Wood, John Good and John Foord will attend and ensure that the views of the ICS are expressed, and taken into consideration where appropriate.


A report on the FONASBA
annual meeting will appear
in the next issue of
Shipping Network.

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