Tribute to Gregory Balestrero that Leaves PMI After 8 Years of Leadership

In this podcast Ricardo Vargas pays tribute to Greg Balestrero, President and CEO of PMI. He highlights Greg's dedication and commitment to PMI during his 8 years as the institution's main executive, leading the world's most important organization dedicated to project management. Ricardo also emphasizes the transition of the Institute's new executive leader, Mark Langley, who takes over as President and CEO in 2011.

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Episode transcript

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Hello everybody welcome to the show. Five minutes PM. Podcast the day for me, it's a very special Podcast because I want to recognize and make a Tribute to Gregory Balestrero that Leaves PMI After eight years leading the Institute as president and CEO. And for me, it was a great privilege to work together with him as a PMI chairman in 2009. And I decided to make this podcast because it's really important to make public all the accomplishments that PMI deed during his term.

And it's really impressive. And I had the opportunity to travel many, many times in 2009 as PMI chair. And most of the streets I traveled together with Greg and I saw his energy. He special for the professional and the numbers of PMI in how the numbers grill during this eight years is amazing. We were in 2000 and to, if we sum up the credential holders and the PMI members, we were about 140,000 people.

Now we are more than a half million to be more precise, 540,000 people. And we were in 2000 and to basically a North American association, 18% wear from outside in 2000 and to now 45% of all members and credential holders come from abroad. Let me give an example. I'm as Brazilian, a member of the PMI board from 2007 to 2009 PMI chairman in 2009, we have Ian Fraser from New Zealand.

We have Louis American from Belgium, or we can see Linda Vela from Canada. So it's a global association after that. And to do that, Greg was an outreach man. And I learned it very much with clin his ability to convince people, to talk to people and sometimes to handle with a very difficult situation and how we can handle and position project management in a better way. Greg did about 500 trips to thousand 500 outreach.

David is about eight, 100 on in non PMI events, representing PMI in government forums, representing PMI in order associations, traveling, talking to people, bring in people to understand what his PMI, what is project management and how project management collaborative a better business results. So he touch about half a million people. And for sure, this was one of the key factors of the success of PMI.

We need to recognize that because if you don't know, PMI is a volunteer association, lab bite, 15 elected board members. I was one of those. And now, so the executive management group that was led by Greg So, it's a partnership between volunteers full time employees. And then Greg, as the leader of this full time, employees show demonstrate it a huge ability to promote project management.

And we need to read that, and that's in line doing this as a member, as a PMI member for more than 10 years. So I'm not any more a volunteer. So I'm a regular member, but I need to, Oh, is that because it's amazing to see his passion in his ability to communicate and make people understand. And from Belgium, his first trip in 2002 to India, his last three, a couple of months ago, so 42 countries, 42 different camps to make in project management then PMI is a global organization.

And this it's a nice set that now belongs to the project management Institute and belong to all of us, PMPs, CAPM, PGM peace. So this is something that we need to recognize and that like, and to take this opportunity to Welcome com Mark Langley Mark, Langley, we'll be from now our president and CEO, and Mark, it's maybe the most powerful with them.

The more knowledge than everyone in PMI operations. He was the executive vice president of PMI in the high school to lead us to the future. He will lead the Institute for the future. And I don't like to say that he will be continuing what Greg did he know? He will challenge and position PMI for the future that sometimes we don't know, we don't know to match because of that. We have all this strategic planning and program alignment committee inside the PMI board to study and see what is going on in the future and the full time employee that will lead the Institute.

We'll be now Mark Langley. And I'm very proud of being friend of both of them. Greg and Mark, I gotta do opportunity to receive them in my home, know their families and know how important is project management in their life. So this is a Tribute for us. So I have this privilege and I wanted to share this opportunity to read it nice. Greg and welcome. Mark in this big, big change for PMI and to drive of us to a better future.

I wish Greg good luck, good sailing. Enjoy your life. And Welcome Mark and for sure everything do you need, you can count not just on me, but in all Brazilian society and all volunteer. Everybody that wants to make project management that are more relevant professional for the future. Be sure to have with you in this future. So good luck. Thank you. And the next week in the, not a five minutes PMI Podcast. Bye.

Bye.

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