Author: Adi Muslic (PMP) 
When in 2021, Agnieszka Skalska, who was the VP Marketing at the time, asked me to apply for a board position, I could not imagine how far that journey would take me.
I started my Board duties in February 2022 as the VP Sponsors & Partners. I learned fast that being a Board Member was quite a challenging position because of the old way of thinking about how the board and chapter should be functioning.
However, this did not stop me from volunteering at my first board meeting, to organizing the PM Conference 2022 in Zurich. Valérie Pierre joined me as a co-lead. It was an unforgettable experience, as all 25 volunteers acted as a team, supporting each other when needed.
After the PM Conference 2022, I started working on the one for 2023, confirming Roche as the host. It was at that time, that David Puippe and Marco Singarella assumed the conference leads roles. I continued to support David and Marco closely, which resulted in yet another amazing event, bringing together project management professionals from all over Switzerland.
At the end of 2022, I directed my focus towards social responsibility, sustainability & diversity, and equity & inclusion initiatives, through the newly-created Social Impact & Youth Team. It was in early 2023, when Mafalda Amaro joined the team, that things gained momentum. On two separate occasions, we delivered project management training for displaced professionals, which was one of the programs receiving recognition at the PMI Europe "Celebrating Our Community" Awards Ceremony". (Lisbon, December 2023)
Nowadays, the Social Impact & Youth Team is starting a new initiative called "PM Talks", a series of webinars, in which topics like those mentioned above are discussed.
In 2023, we also launched a series of Problem-Solving Workshops, held in several locations in Switzerland. The next workshop will take place in Zurich on March 1st, 2024.
Because long-standing volunteer contributions need to be recognized, I suggested to Martin Härri that we should submit his application for the prestigious PMI Eric Jennet, Person of the Year Award.
When I took over the VP Sponsors & Partners Team two years ago, there were only 2 volunteer team members. Little by little, I started rebuilding the team.
Today, Sponsors & Partners has 25 volunteer team members, managing 3 chapter sponsors, several event sponsors and many partners. This is achieved through the Swiss Corporate Networking Group, Academia Outreach, Social Impact & Youth, and Community engagement initiatives.
I am proud that Paula, David and Mafalda, all members of the Sponsors & Partners Team, have been elected to positions on the 2024 PMI Switzerland Board.
The story does not stop here, as I am confident that with the new Board, there will be plenty of new opportunities to make a difference.
See you soon.
Adi