Brigitte Schaden elected President of IPMA

History was made in Copenhagen on Sat. September 28, when the IPMA (International Project Management Association) elected its first-ever woman president. Brigitte Schaden from Austria, who has been acting as vice president for certification for the last 4 years, won a keenly fought election contest, edging out the UK candidate Mary McKinley.

This is the first time since the foundation of the international organization over 40 years ago that a woman will occupy the highest office available. The Institute has always maintained very close ties with its Austrian counterpart. They greatly assisted us when we were establishing the IPMA certification system in Ireland in 2001. The new president, in her previous role as head of the certification, has visited Dublin on many occasions to validate and quality assure the certification processes.

Her last visit to Dublin was in June when she was the lead assessor who awarded Laura Magahy the coveted IPMA Level A status. Laura was the first woman in Ireland to acquire this highest possible level of certification.