As part of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy was "shut-down", we have all been locked down and practicing social/physical distancing. Now we all must wear masks to prevent asymptomatic contamination. We have started to open up the economy, noting that we may experience a second wave of the virus. IERG members are naturally social and enjoy getting together to discuss important topics. For the time being, we are all having to engage virtually.

The death of George Floyd was the result of a reprehensible act. The national response and global dialogue point to a serious issue ― and we must not look away. The protests in the US have travelled internationally, as part of a major movement against racism and aggressive policing. As embodied in the IERG Equality Policy, we members of IERG are internationalists and clearly believe that racism, discrimination and hatred will not be tolerated. We must take this moment to embrace the fundamental values that unite us.

Since my last message, we have revised our vision statement to be more inclusive: 

"The International Executive Resources Group (IERG) is a unique global organization of internationalists with diverse experiences that enable its membership to connect, network, collaborate to identify opportunities, and learn from each other to accelerate commerce and to make the world a better place." 

As IERG members, we have access within our many ongoing activities to knowledge, advice and exchange of ideas to help us cope and move forward, check out our calendar of events.

IERG members can offer a lot of guidance, support and networking during this difficult time. If you have other colleagues that you believe will benefit from IERG membership please invite them to join the IERG. Membership not only allows access to senior international expertise, but will also offer the opportunity to participate and share experiences. Details are at: https://ierg.memberclicks.net/membership.

A major benefit is Leadership development through mentoring, codifying and implementing best practices, authoring position papers, engaging and sharing knowledge.A key membership benefit is to be recognized for Leadership Development through IERG Global Business Leadership Certification. The program is attracting wide attention as a new standard for global business leadership achievement and recognition. Check your eligibility for higher levels of certification and apply. Details are at: https://ierg.memberclicks.net/get-certified

The IERG Newsletter provides regular communications with our members and is rapidly expanding IERG reach, frequency and branding. Members are invited to contribute to the IERG Newsletter.

Volunteer. Given the current situation, you might have some extra time available to volunteer on IERG Committees and/or Chapter activities. This is a great opportunity to give back, and also to work closely with other senior leaders from diverse industries.

Some active committees that you may wish to participate on include: Best Practices, Certification, Chapter, Communications, Geographic Expansion, Membership, Partnerships, and Webinars.

Please let me know if you can volunteer on any of the committees. We are a membership driven organization.

In summary we have today the strongest and most active Board of Directors and Leadership Team in our history that are bound together by a core set of operating values dedicated to enhance member value, involvement, caliber and range as well as the long term plan and vision for IERG. Details are at https://ierg.memberclicks.net/ierg-leadership.

IERG is about members getting involved, contributing, sharing and supporting others and making a difference, and ultimately increasing value through networking, leadership development and working together. I am very excited about the future. The IERG has an incredibly important role to play to help our members succeed in our truly global world.  

Waseem Naqvi
President and Chair, IERG