HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | APRIL 2025 57 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNER to our initiatives. If you are interested, please review the available positions and apply. With strong financial stability, strategic planning, and global engagement, ASM is well-positioned for a transformative year. Your continued dedication and involvement are what make our Society strong, and I look forward to working together to advance materials science and engineering. I encourage you to stay engaged, contribute to our shared vision, and take advantage of the many opportunities that ASM offers. Let us continue driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and making 2025 a year of progress and impact. ASM President Navin Manjooran, FASM navin.manjooran@asminternational.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNER Strategic Planning Underway As the weather improves, education classes return to ASM Headquarters. We held our first two onsite classes the last week of February, with another scheduled the first week of March. ASM’s hands-on learning experiences take place in our modern educational labs. Our Society is renowned for its expert-led training programs and industry-recognized certificates of achievement. I encourage our members to consider enrolling in one of our upcoming courses. As mentioned by ASM President Manjooran, financial stability remains a top priority. Our financial performance year-to-date is surpassing budget expectations in both revenue and operating margin. Revenue is significantly outperforming early 2024 figures, with a remarkable 70% improvement in operating margin. The headquarters team is confident in their ability to meet the 2025 budget, which includes a projected 12% revenue increase, cost reductions, and a 72% improvement in gross margin compared to 2024 results. In late January, I was able to attend the annual CESSE CEO/Executive Director meeting. CESSE (Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives) is a professional society for STEM association management, and the focus of the event included sessions on strategic planning, rethinking event strategy, adapting to a changing political and regulatory landscape, and the use of AI in associations. In addition to valuable takeaways that will benefit ASM directly, I have expanded my network of dedicated association professionals who will be available as resources. Manjooran also mentioned that the strategic planning process is underway. Every five years, the ASM Strategic Plan undergoes a comprehensive update, evaluating each component for continued relevance, including our mission, vision, and core values. Once the enduring aspects of the plan are refined and finalized for the 2026-2030 period, strategic actions and goals will be established for the first annual cycle. The Board of Trustees will convene in July to define the Annual Action Plan for 2026, which will then guide the staff in developing the 2026 budget. This alignment will lay the foundation for sustained growth, innovation, and stability over the next five years. Finally, this issue features three show previews: one for AeroMat in the main section of AM&P, one for ITSC in the iTSSe supplement, and one for QDE in the HTPro supplement. We invite you to join us at this unique event of combined conferences in Vancouver, Canada, this May. I look forward to seeing you there. Veronica Becker Executive Director, ASM International veronica.becker@asminternational.org Canada Council Award Nominations Deadline April 30 ASM’s Canada Council is seeking nominations for its 2025 awards program. These prestigious awards include: G. MacDonald Young Award—The ASM Canada Council established this award in 1988 to recognize distinguished and significant contributions by an ASM member in Canada. This award consists of a plaque and a piece of Canadian native soapstone sculpture. M. Brian Ives Lectureship—This award was established in 1971 by the ASM Canada Council to identify a distinguished lecturer who will present a technical talk at a regular monthly meeting of each Canadian ASM Chapter who elects to participate. The winner receives a $1000 honorarium and travels to each ASM Canada Chapter throughout the year to give their presentation with expenses covered by the ASM Canada Council. John Convey Innovation Awards—In 1977, the Canada Council created a new award to recognize sustaining member companies that contribute to development of the Canadian materials engineering industry. Two awards are presented each year, one to a company with annual sales in excess of $5 million, and the other to a company with annual sales below $5 million. Place your nominations for the 2025 awards! Award rules, past recipients, and sample nomination forms can be found at asminternational.org/about-asm/awards. Becker
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