CILIP announces the first Chartered Knowledge Manager!

This article is part of a series on education and professional accreditation for knowledge managers.

Professional accreditation is valuable to both the careers of knowledge managers and the future of the field of knowledge management (KM). In a RealKM Magazine article published towards the end of last year, I discussed the benefits of the CILIP Chartered Knowledge Manager initiative in that regard, and what this process involves.

The CILIP program offers accreditation under Royal Charter, with an established and respected assessment and support infrastructure. Importantly, the program also has an emphasis on the development of KM competence rather than just the completion of training.

I’m now excited to advise that CILIP has announced that Elena Costello has become the first person to be awarded the Chartered Knowledge Manager status MCLIP Chartered Knowledge Manager. Elena (pictured above) is an Associate at Arup, and joined the initial pilot scheme in 2019.

Congratulations Elena!

Personal and organisational benefits

CILIP’s professional awards in KM – Chartered Knowledge Manager and Knowledge Management Fellow – are the first in the world to be awarded by an independent professional body by Royal Charter.

Elena’s submission was particularly praised for “a focus on future aims and developments resulting from the work undertaken to date. Elena clearly recognises the importance of continuing to develop and improve both her service and herself as a professional.”

In response to the news of her award, Elena commented:

There are two main things that I took away from the process. The first, was the need to look at where I am as a KM practitioner at this moment in time and where I want to be in the future. It is important to have this opportunity to pause, reflect and appreciate the progress made so far. But what is more important is to establish a path for growth and development in such a way that the professional path chosen remains dynamic and stimulating.

An additional benefit lies in the ability to demonstrate to our external clients and collaborators that I am a practicing Knowledge Manager whose expertise has been validated by a recognised association. This provides real value in activities associated with Arup KM consulting work.

Dominique Poole-Avery, Global Knowledge Manager at Arup and Elena’s line manager added:

We are absolutely delighted for Elena, Arup is proud to demonstrate a firm commitment to the development of its people and our members are encouraged to pursue professional Chartership in their respective disciplines wherever possible. The Knowledge Management Chartership programme enables knowledge professionals to seek registration backed by royal charter, providing parity with other professions and creating a framework for the development of skills which is aligned with the new international standard for KM: ISO 30401.

Following Elena’s success, I’m pleased to see that other knowledge practitioners from across Arup globally are now undertaking Chartership, further demonstrating both the value of Chartership and Arup’s commitment to the profession and the development of our members.

Interested?

To gain KM Chartership, candidates are asked to evidence how they have:

• improved their personal performance by undertaking activities to develop skills, apply these in practice and reflect on the process and outcomes

• examined the organisational context of their service, evaluated service performance, demonstrated their ability to implement or recommend improvements and reflect on actual or desired outcomes

• enhanced their knowledge of the wider professional context, reflecting on areas of current interest.

To find out more, check out the KM Chartership information on the CILIP website.

Article and header image source: © CILIP.

Also published on Medium.