Upon arrival at the Los Angeles (LAS) Airport which is our port-of-entry to the US, my wife and I discovered that we were about to experience an “interesting” turn of events, that is, being left by our connecting flight to Las Vegas. This was followed by other similar incidents that would have made our over-all experience totally unpleasant. Yet we chose to enjoy ourselves, and we did… but that would have to be another article altogether.

The role I played in the 2011 Global Leadership Conference (GLC) is primarily that of a host. I am a member of the chapter support committee (CSC) which effectively gave me the role by default. However, I could not totally tear myself away from being a representative of the Manila Chapter, albeit unofficially. It was a tiring experience for me, considering that I was there, not as a delegate, but as a member of the working committee.

My first day started at about 7:00am, looking forward to a one-on-one briefing for the members of the CSC which I missed the previous day as a result of a missed flight.

However, I failed to get one and thus had to play it by ear. As was expected, members of the committee manned the registration desk and the distribution of name badges, lanyards, notebooks and gifts.

The day proceeded with the general sessions in the morning and the breakout sessions in the afternoon. Discussions were all significant, especially since they were meant to provide the delegates with the knowledge, skills and abilities to use tools that are necessary to effectively administer to their respective chapters.

The second day started at 8:00am with a general session for the first half of the morning with the breakout sessions beginning at around 11:00am. This was the most noteworthy time for me, as this was when our President, Joey Regala joined me as we shared the Manila Chapters’ Involvement with the Government and Regulatory Agencies. We highlighted our accomplishments, and were commended for it. This was a session led by Andrew MacLeod of the Professional Influence and Advocacy Committee. We shared center stage with the Malta Chapter in providing inputs to the discussion.

The closing session gave both Joey and I the opportunity to network with officers of other ISACA chapters and the officials and staff of ISACA International. This was an opportunity for us to put the Manila Chapter on the ISACA map, as a top-of-mind chapter for the incoming president and senior

Takeaways from the Leadership Conference
By: Joey Regala, CPA, CISA

I had a wonderful experience attending the ISACA Global Leadership Conference held last May 14 to 15 at Paris Hotel Las Vegas! This happens every three years only.

These are the three major things I appreciated in this conference:

1. Met other ISACA leaders from other countries and likewise the members of the Chapter Support Committee

Met with the chapter relations staff and personally thanked them of their support to ISACA Manila Chapter. We also gave gifts as token of our appreciation.

Met with other ISACA Chapter Leaders including Mr. Pierre Liu – Treasurer of ISACA Ottawa and was even invited for dinner at his house in Ottawa. By chance, I went to Canada as my side trip after the Conference. =)

2. I was able to gain more knowledge in Leadership. Exceptional leadership is the ability to initiate change with and through other people. I had the opportunity to share to the other delegates our experience in building relationships in the public sector through providing governance trainings and inviting them to be members of ISACA. Feedback was positive as we are ahead in this aspect compared to other chapters.

I also learned from other leaders that we should always “engage” with the members in order for them to have a more active role in the organization. Therefore, ISACA Manila will try to organize monthly events when possible.

3. See Las Vegas and watch one of the best shows, Cirque Du Soleil!!