March'23 Message from the President


Juan I. Steta

Skål International President, 2023

My dear Skålleagues,

Incredibly, but the first quarter of 2023 is coming to an end.

During this time, all of the established Committees have started their work and all of them have set their objectives for 2023. These, together with the names of the Co-Chairs and members of each one of them, including the Executive Board Liaison have been circulated to you and also included in this e-newsletter. Some of you might think, why so late, but believe me the Co-Chairs and their liaison Executive Board member have done a great work integrating the Committees and setting their goals.

All of the Committees have started their work. Some of them are meeting every fortnight and others once a month, but their Co-Chairs are meeting once a week or, at the most, every 15 days.

At this stage, I would like to commend the work being carried out by the Transition Committee. They are doing a tremendous job setting the different aspects required to implement the new governance model by the end of April/beginning of May, so as to have sufficient time to explain in detail to all Skål International Clubs and National and Area Committees the approved Statutes and By-Laws amendments, and the election process that will have to take place 15 days before the Quebec Congress. Obviously, their work has not been easy since the implementation of some of the amendments requires further clarification in order to comply with the changes approved in Croatia.

Also, a word of recognition has to go to the Advocacy, Global Partnership and Trade Shows Committee, who have also met regularly. They have under their umbrella the sustainability program, which is not a minor issue.

Other work being performed, with exceptional compromise, is the transition of our platform: From Odoo to WordPress. The team led by Immediate Past President Burcin Turkkan and Director Mohan N.S.N. are hands on. It includes the Co-Chairs of the IT Committee, as well as Ana Maria and Esther from the General Secretariat. They are also meeting every two weeks but, from the number of e-mails I see, it would seem that they are working nonstop.

Finally, I would like to inform you that the International Skål Council has decided to meet in Malaga at the end of April. We will have our traditional Mid-Year Meeting in a hybrid format, but there will be around 20 Councillors present. A word of recognition has to go to José Luis Quintero, our International Skål Councillor from Spain, and to Ana María and Yolanda for all the work they are carrying out to make this last International Skål Council meeting a total success. 

“Con un fuerte abrazo Skål”

Juan I. Steta

Skål International President, 2023