In her final blog before the Bookkeepers Summit, ICB CEO Ami Copeland looks forward to celebrating 30 years of ICB.
Things kick off on Sunday evening with drinks. It's an informal and relaxed soft landing for everything that follows, so if you're coming along please do join us. Then on Monday the Summit itself opens at the awe-inspiring Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (as seen on the second season of Black Doves if you’re a TV-buff). As always, it marks the start of Global Bookkeeping Week. This is the week when bookkeepers, and the people who love and appreciate them, can say so visibly, publicly and loudly online. Please do! Share your stories, celebrate yourself and shout about the work you do.
And we're not stopping there. One week later we meet again for the Virtual Summit, running over two days on 23 and 24 November. It's a whole new set of content and a fantastic coming together of bookkeepers, payroll professionals and those aspiring to join our profession.
A very special birthday
And of course this year's Summit is extra special because ICB is turning 30. Thirty years is a massive achievement for any organisation- only around a third make it through one decade.I'm so proud of what our members, students and team have built together.
I remember when my parents founded ICB in the 90s. I was 13. They had a fancy new office in Bloomsbury Square with a huge boardroom table. In fact, I totally fell in love with the table and bagsied it for my future home - I imagined myself moving into an arty New York-style loft like Demi Moore in Ghost, and the huge table would be in the middle of it. It didn’t even occur to me that one day I’d be seated at that table for board meetings.
My first job at ICB came every school holiday, in the mail room. We had a huge, noisy machine sending out student cards and exams, because back then everything was done on paper. My job was to clear the jams and keep an eye on quality, making sure every label went on properly and nothing was squiffy.
My parents made sure I understood why those mailings mattered. An ICB qualification was never just the paper it was printed on. It spoke to the hopes and dreams of our students and the future they envisaged for themselves.
That value still holds true today. It sits at the heart of everything we do as we continue to give people the skills, status and support they need to succeed.
It is my great honour to carry on my parents' legacy. I hope bookkeepers from across the globe will join us in celebrating the success of our Institute and our profession, as we look ahead to the next 30 years.