MPI Names 2007-2008 Board of Directors

Meeting Professionals International 2007-2008 leadership assumed their roles July 1, bringing in a board of directors led by Angie Pfeifer, CMM, assistant vice president, corporate meetings, travel and incentives, Investors Group Financial Services Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In addition to Pfeifer as chairwoman, the Board of Director’s Executive Committee includes:
Chairman-elect:

Larry Luteran, vice president, group sales and industry relations, Hilton Hotels Corp.
Vice Chairman of Administration:

Paul Kennedy, MBE, group exhibition director, Reed Travel Exhibitions
Vice Chairwoman of Finance: Ann Godi, CMP, president, Benchmark360 Inc.
Vice Chairman of Member Services: Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM, president, Ince & Tive
Immediate Past Chairman: Mark S. Andrew, CMP, CHA, president and CEO, Andrew Hospitality Inc.
Ex-Officio: Bruce MacMillan, CA, president and CEO

Other members of the 2007-2008 Board of Directors include Marge Anderson, associate director, Energy Center of Wisconsin; Betsy Bondurant, CMP, CMM, Coronado, Calif.; Matt Brody, CHSP, director of marketing, JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa; Luca Favetta, director global events EMEA–APA, SAP Swisse SA; Caroline Hill, strategic development manager, conference and events, Roche Products Ltd.; Karen Massicotte, CMP, CMM, BA, director of operations, PRIME Strategies; Carole McKellar, MA, CMM, MCIPD, managing director, Resources for Business Group; Michael Owen, managing partner, EventGenuity LLC; Ole Sorang, director of regional marketing–Nordic countries, Rezidor SAS Hospitality; Sebastien Tondeur, CEO, corporate division, MCI; Alexandra Wagner, director of corporate meetings and events, Sun Trust Bank; and Carl Winston, program director, hospitality and tourism management program, San Diego State University.

The board’s European Council Representative is Gerrit Jessen, CMP, managing director, P’Concept Berlin.

The MPI Foundation Board representative is Michael Beardsley, CEO, Inn Fluent LLC. The International Chapter Leadership Committee representative is James McDonough, director training and meeting services, Fusion Productions, and the board’s legal counsel is Jonathan T. Howe, Esq., president/senior partner, Howe & Hutton, Ltd.

MPI to Sign the United Nations Compact on Corporate Social Responsibility

MONTRÉAL (July 28, 2007) – In a bold leadership statement, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) today announced that it will sign the United Nations (UN)Global Compact on Corporate Social Responsibility. The MPI Board of Directors gave the unanimous approval during the World Education Congress à la Montréal.

The United Nations Global Compact on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative with more than 3,700 participants and stakeholders from more than 100 countries. It provides an unprecedented and powerful platform for participating organizations with respect to advancing their commitment to sustainability and global citizenship. It consists of more than 50 national networks in developed and emerging economies and provides an opportunity for signatories to further their corporate social responsibility objectives.

“This is the first step in making a commitment to this growing global focus,” said Angie Pfeifer, CMM, chairwoman of the MPI board of directors. “By supporting the UN Compact, MPI continues to position itself as an industry leader and elevates the conversation for our members by informing them about Corporate Social Responsibility and the role that meetings and events professionals can play in supporting those principles for employers and clients. As more and more successful organizations focus on CSR, it is the right thing to do at the right time.”

There are 10 principles in the UN Global Compact in the areas of human rights, labor, environmental sustainability and anti-corruption. The Compact asks companies to support and enact, within their sphere of influence, these principles as core values.

The global compact is a voluntary initiative to promote good corporate citizenship, a set of values based on universally accepted principles, and a forum for learning and an exchange of experiences.

MPI has retained Wallace and Partners to assist them in developing emerging educational and marketplace opportunities related to Corporate Social Responsibility for MPI’s global community. They also have been tasked with accelerating MPI’s commitment to environmental sustainability at its events, including the introduction of a number of new practices at its World Education Congress currently under way in Montréal.

“One of our four strategic imperatives is to elevate the conversation and experience for our members,” said Bruce MacMillan, CA, MPI president and CEO. “Committing to the principles of the UN Compact is a first step in educating our members about a growing global initiative that will impact their professional world. It is also meant to inspire them to take action and make them more strategic to organizations and clients who have or would like to make a similar commitment.”

For more information on the UN Compact go to http://www.unglobalcompact.org.

About MPI
Meeting Professionals International, the global meetings industry community, is committed to delivering success for its more than 22,000 worldwide members by providing innovative knowledge and learning experiences, connecting people and ideas and creating rich marketplace opportunities. Founded in 1972, the Dallas-based organization delivers global human connections through its 68 chapters and clubs in 20 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.mpiweb.org.