Inaugural Gift of Excellence award recipients announced

By IABC staff | Mar 16, 2020

During the 2019 Leadership Institute in February, the IABC Foundation trustees awarded four applicants Gift of Excellence grants. The grant will allow recipients to seek Communication Management Professional (CMP) certification or Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) certification through the Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC). The grant will cover the costs of the application fee, exam fee and one-year renewal fee, totaling US$600 for each person.

The IABC Foundation was particularly interested in helping to expand availability of certification where currency discrepancies or developing economies may make it financially difficult for members to take part. IABC members living and working in areas designated as developing nations by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, as well as those living in areas significantly impacted by a natural disaster, received the highest priority in the disbursement of Gift of Excellence grant funds. All applicants demonstrating financial need were considered.

The four 2019 Gift of Excellence grant recipients are, from left to right: Ben Borne from Saskatoon, Canada; Rauf Hameed from Punjab, Pakistan; Samantha Hazelwood from St. James, Barbados and; Grace Omondi from Nairobi, Kenya.

Congratulations and good luck! We wish these IABC members much success in their journey to achieve certification. Three of these award winners would be the first to gain certification within their countries.