On July 1 I officially started as the new director at the ISI. It was almost vacation and we were in the middle of the exams of my children and sweet 16 of my youngest daughter. Before my official starting date I already participated in parts of the ISI Executive Committee meeting in May.
ISI President Steve Penneck, President-Elect Xuming He, former director Ada van Krimpen and also had several calls in May and June. We talked about the status of the ISI strategic projects, ISI Associations, history and goals of the ISI and, last but not least, the WSC 2023.
My first actual working day was June 27 when I had a chance to spend a full day at the ISI Permanent Office. I met very dedicated, intrinsically motivated people with a lot of knowledge. My immediate thought was one of relief since all of this (historic) knowledge will help me enormously to get up to speed as fast as possible. The preparations for WSC 2023 are in full swing and working as a team is of great importance. Ada had been very helpful until her last day in the office and I am very grateful for that.
I will spend my first months at the ISI getting to know many people. I want to understand the priorities and see if there are any issues requiring attention. I will then come up with a plan, so keep reading my columns to stay up to date :-).
My background in ICT, consultancy, communication, sales & marketing, and innovation comes in handy. I have worked in commercial and not-for-profit organizations, and in international environments. I will use the skills I have in my work for the ISI family so we can make it grow and prosper.
I hope we will meet soon and if you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Conchita Kleijweg
ISI Director
