A note from Annie Gibbins, CEO
In late July, members of your ATMS Board and Management team travelled to Geelong for the Association Forum National Conference 2026, two days spent alongside CEOs, chairs and directors from associations right across the country, all working through the same question we ask ourselves every day: how do we serve our members better?
I want to share why this mattered, and what it means for you as an ATMS member.
Conferences like this rarely make the newsletter. But good governance is a lot like good clinical practice: the work that protects you and adds the most value is often the work you never see. A well-run Board, a clear strategy, and a CEO who reports against real outcomes rather than busywork are what keep your professional association strong, financially sound and genuinely useful to your career, year after year. This conference was an investment in exactly that.
Strengthening the Governance That Protects You
A recurring message across every session was disarmingly simple: the healthiest associations are the ones where the Board and the CEO each stay firmly in their own lane. The Board sets direction and holds us accountable, management delivers on it day to day. When that boundary blurs, organisations lose focus. When it holds, decisions get made faster, resources go further, and the organisation stays financially resilient.
Your Board has taken this seriously. We’re using what we learned to sharpen the formal agreement between the Board and CEO, refresh how Board meetings are run, and make sure ATMS’s strategic plan, not just the day-to-day inbox, drives every major decision we make on your behalf.
Preparing ATMS for the AI Era, Responsibly
Artificial intelligence was, without question, the most discussed topic of the conference, and not as a novelty. Every association in the room is grappling with the same reality: AI can genuinely improve how we serve members, but it also introduces real risk around privacy, accuracy and trust if it isn’t governed carefully.
The clearest message we took from Geelong: using AI never removes the responsibility of the humans checking the work. That principle now sits at the centre of how ATMS is building its own AI governance, including a dedicated policy, named accountability within the organisation, and ongoing education for our Directors and staff. Our goal is straightforward: use AI to work more efficiently on your behalf, while protecting your data and trust as we always have.
Investing in Your Membership Experience
Beyond governance, we came home with a clear, evidence-backed picture of what makes membership genuinely valuable. Not more benefits, but the right ones, tailored to where you are in your career, delivered with less noise and more relevance. We also spent real time on advocacy, reaffirming that the relationships ATMS builds with government, quietly and consistently, are one of the most valuable things we do on your behalf, even when you don’t see the day-to-day work behind it.
You’ll see this thinking reflected over the coming months in how we communicate with you, the education we prioritise, and the way we continue to represent the profession to government and regulators.
Why This Matters
None of this is about chasing trends. It’s about making sure ATMS remains a well-governed, financially sound and genuinely useful association, one you can trust to represent your profession well, protect your interests, and be here for the long term. Attending conferences like this, and doing the follow-up work properly, is part of how we earn that trust every single day.
Thank you for being part of ATMS. We’re proud to represent you, and we’ll keep bringing the best of what we learn straight back into how we serve you.
Annie Gibbins CEO, ATMS
