The moment when outgoing president Mike Morrissey introduces Mohamed Mezghani as the new President of ESAE.
At the end of the awards ceremony during the European Associations Summit (EAS), the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE) announced a shake-up in the leadership of its Board. Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), is now the new President, taking over the Society's reins for the next three years. Outgoing president Mike Morrissey, CEO of the European Cancer Organisation (ECO), who served since June 2021, will remain on the ESAE Board of Directors, having organised the Society's first event at the European Parliament, as well as leading the Association Leaders Forum at IBTM, and this first ever European Association Summit & Awards 2024.
With more than 20 years' experience in the field of urban mobility and public transport, Mohamed Mezghani, an ESAE board member since 2021, played a key role in the launch of the European Association Awards in 2023, and explains in this interview how his vision will align with the various future initiatives in association advocacy and with ESAE's legacy within management and leadership standards.
Headquarters: The European Society of Association Executives (ESAE) recently announced its new governing bodies, led by you as the new president. The transition in these Boards always forces new leaders to find a balance between what was done well in the previous administration and the new projects and solutions that the mandate requires. So, what are the good projects left over from the last presidency that you want to continue, and what gaps do you want to fill with new projects and services?
Mohamed Mezghani: You're right that a lot has been done recently. The last few years have been very productive for ESAE and its members, leading to the launch of several important initiatives, such as the leadership circle and the communities of practice. These activities involve dozens of members covering a broad variety of topics with an impact on associations, such as the advocacy event held at the European Parliament, the European Association Summit and its Awards, to name but a few. In addition, ESAE has developed strong partnerships with destinations and other companies or suppliers involved in serving associations, with a focus on co-operation with ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives.
Of course, I want to capitalise on these achievements and strengthen the services that ESAE has been providing to its members, as it is the only association leaders' association in Europe. It is a network of peers who share and learn from other partners and this approach is fundamental to our growth. I intend to strengthen it by offering more opportunities for members to connect with each other, not only for networking but also for educational purposes, with the aim of professionalising our sector. For me, this is a priority because if we do this, the ESAE brand will become stronger and will be the benchmark for association activities in the eyes of partners, members, stakeholders, policy makers, etc.
On the other hand, there has been a change in leadership but the composition of the Board remains the same. This will ensure the continuity of ESAE's joint endeavour by building on the experience gained from the achievements and successes of the last two years. I would like to take this opportunity to recognise Mike Morrissey's leadership in all the important achievements during his term, and to highlight the important updates in terms of human resources. The ESAE team has been growing over the last few years, which led to the promotion of Ioannis (Pallas) as Managing Director, demonstrating the secretariat's ability to lead the many initiatives and projects and consolidate the professionalisation of our association.
HQ: Does this mean that you want to expand the number of member Associations here in Brussels?
MM: Of course. If we want to be the association that represents associations, we have to be able to gather as many members as possible to our side. So, we will certainly make efforts to recruit more members and the European summit of associations is an opportunity for them to get to know ESAE's work and see the strength of this collective intelligence. We want to attract more and more Associations because our voice will be stronger.
HQ: In your communities of practice, we found nine trends that are decisively influencing the actions and strategies of associations. At the last European Association summit, these trends were widely debated with a particular focus on sustainability and legacy, digital transformation, governance and event management. But given the new political reconfiguration in the seats of the European Parliament, what role will your executive play in terms of advocating for associations? As you said in your press release, how do you intend to “increase the relevance of associations and make them more influential,” as Head of ESAE?
MM: Yes, a relevant and influential association is a credible organisation that members want to identify with and are proud to belong to. An association that is listened to and respected by policymakers and regulators, that is recognised as the mouthpiece organisation for its sector. That's what I meant by relevant and influential. It is relevant internally for its members, because when they identify with the association this will be reflected in the causes and flags they defend, and it is influential externally for stakeholders, policy-makers and regulators because of the representation they advocate as the spokesperson organisation for the sector. This is a critical objective for ESAE, but also for our members. So yes, we need to support them in achieving common goals by providing them with the right information, advice and training when needed, to boost their ability to better defend their area of expertise.
This doesn't depend mostly on the sector, but is rather a common goal that we would like to achieve by providing the right platform for more advanced members to share their experiences with others. Within our membership, we have large and small associations, trade associations, professional societies, etc., and it is important that we can provide them with a platform where they can share their experience about advocacy and others. We also need to do this in a safe and comfortable space to encourage the sharing and networking of experiences. As far as policymakers are concerned, associations can be instrumental in conveying the voice and position of the sector they represent. Ultimately, advocacy depends a lot on the topicality and the policies that impact each sector. You have to be proactive but you also have to be reactive, since, as you mentioned earlier with the recent parliamentary elections, it's necessary to anticipate as much as possible a new law and political directive with our constituents. To talk to the right people, and to be there at the right time to identify association's concerns and priorities. Advocacy is a combination of all this.
ESAE team photo at theMerode
HQ: The handover of the European Association Summit also marked a new era for European and international associations to meet and discuss management and strategic issues under the ESAE umbrella. What plans does your new leadership have for this annual meeting? How do you intend to improve and grow this Summit for the benefit of its members and the Association community?
MM: The European Association Summit is an important milestone in the life of ESAE and associations in general. It is the only event organised by associations for associations, an event where association executives talk to association executives, event planners talk to event planners, sector leaders talk to other leaders. Most associations have their annual congress, and this is our annual event dedicated to our members too. If you're an association organising your annual event, this is a not-to-miss moment for professionals in our sector. It's where we take stock of the latest trends, take the pulse of the associations, and discuss the impact, challenges and opportunities that these trends will bring to our businesses. It's where we meet our peers and develop a shared network that is very important for associations.
It's also where we honour the associations' most outstanding achievements at the European Association Awards ceremony. Running the summit during the day and then the awards ceremony at the evening, really pushes the identity and brand that we want to maintain and grow. In 2024, we organised the first edition in just three months. For 2025, we will have more time to define the programme with our members and partners. I think it would also be important to have a common thread, a linear theme throughout the event, to ensure consistency in the messages we want to convey at the end of the summit. It's important to cover different themes, but also to align them with the main message.
HQ: So, you mean an umbrella theme for each edition of ESAE…
MM: Yes, having an umbrella theme to make sure that each session is linked to that theme making our communication more consistent. As I mentioned earlier, EAS is also a golden opportunity to attract new members to ESAE. We can unpack discussions, results and a wealth of knowledge to attract new members by getting them to attend. When defining the programme and our activities during the Summit, it's important to think about members and non-members. If all goes well, I think next year's edition should be bigger in terms of the number and diversity of participants, given this year's success. We'll need to meet that expectation and room for growth in order to turn this into something bigger and fulfil the commitment to reach out to external associations and other potential interests for the Summit. The foundation of the EAS is that it is an event organised by associations for associations.
HQ: Our recently launched issue was dedicated to the sustainability of associations' actions and resources and I would like to hear your opinion on the following. The European Commission has adopted a set of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, transport and tax policies fit to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. How are European associations aligning themselves with the European Green Deal in order to position themselves as more sustainably responsible?
MM: When we talk about sustainability, it's important to distinguish between the association, the members and the sector. What associations can do is identify measures to make the sector more sustainable, provide members with tools to support them in this direction, and ensure that the associations' own activities are tenable. Associations don't have the power to impose sustainability measures on their members, but they can promote the benefits of the sector at this level. They can promote cases of good practice to show the sector's contribution. I work in the public transport sector, which is obviously very concerned about this issue, and what we try to promote are the benefits of the sector in terms of its impact on the environment, society and the economy. Because it's important to emphasise that sustainability isn't just about the environment, but encompasses these three pillars - the environment, society and the economy. So how does the sector contribute to a cleaner environment, greater social inclusion or economic growth? This is very important when we talk to policymakers within the sector, because often they are not necessarily aware of what and how the sector can contribute to this path of sustainability. So that's what the associations do, raise awareness among policy-makers about the sustainability of the sector.
It's also about having the right figures and studies to reinforce your message about sustainability. Another aspect to bear in mind is this: when advocating, associations tend to use the very technical and codified language of their own sector. However, what is important is to use a more accessible language, one that is understandable to the people you are talking to, be it political decision-makers, the media or civil society. This is a very important issue because letting everyday language permeate your message can be decisive for the overall understanding of your plan.
Mohamed Mezghani speaks for the first time as President before an audience of association leaders
HQ: What you've just said is quite interesting. In other words, it's important for associations to get out of that "sectoral bubble" in which they live so they can communicate in a more mundane way, widely understandable to society. Do you think many associations struggle with this? Not just with sustainability, but from an advocacy perspective?
MM: I think so. If I mention this, it's because I've experienced it in the past. I work in a sector that sometimes experiences these problems, as we often associate public transport with strikes, violence and dubious quality. The key is to talk to people and convey a different image of an attractive, safe and cool sector. Our role is to transform this distorted perception into a positive one. By also giving political decision-makers positive arguments for a sustained transition. It's not just about scientific facts. We can have all the figures to show for it - what our sector brings to the economy, to society, to the environment - but if those facts aren't formulated in a convincing way to mobilise its constituents, nothing will happen. The communication aspect is very important in advocacy work. I hope we will have the opportunity at ESAE and with our members to cover aspects such as the leadership circle and our advocacy community.
HQ: So, moving away from an expert language to one that simplifies the message for the masses. It's important because we often talk about association benefits to politicians and decision-makers but never to the people around us...
MM: Exactly, to show how the work of an association contributes to the community around it. What an association can bring to local communities is also very important. Another aspect that I would like to add when we talk about political decision-makers is that they are often in a hurry because they depend a lot on their re-election. They want to make decisions without delay, see the return on investment from their decisions, and implement them in the short-term. That's why this issue of sustainability is not easy to resolve as the impact of sustainability won't be felt in a couple of months, or even three years from now. Many of them take some time to fully integrate, and policymakers are not used to waiting. We need stability to make these measures applied and work. We need continuity in the effort. This is why some policymakers are very excited about these new technologies, because they can be implemented immediately. This is the challenge we have ahead of us. Convincing these political actors that, even though projects may take five or ten years to accomplish, there are some quick wins that you can benefit from immediately.
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