Keith Underdown
Why did I join the IAIDQ?
I joined in the first place because Andrew Kinnear, the then VP Member Services and my boss, asked me to represent him at the Houston Conference in 2005. An expenses-paid trip to the States for $85 was an opportunity not to be missed!
Don't get me wrong, my interest was not merely pecuniary. I relished the opportunity to get involved in a subject that had long been dear to my heart but which I had had very little opportunity to get involved with in a way that would influence lots of people.
In the event it turned into an amazing adventure. The weekend planning sessions were great fun and it was very satisfying to be able to make a mark on the way the Association was to be run. I helped to clarify the thinking on Communities of Practice and made a presentation on them at the IAIDQ's Annual Meeting within the conference. Getting out of Houston with a hurricane approaching showed me Americans at their best and their worst!
Membership has hugely increased my network of contacts in the field and brought me several new friendships across the world. The access to services such as the Book Club and the Newsletter has helped me refine my understanding of Information Quality.
Since 2005 I have spoken at IQ events in the UK, Ireland and Australia so membership has increased my visibility enormously. I have also taken part in the ratification process for an international standard—which is certainly one way of influencing the future. I am presently the Convenor of the British CoP, which gives me even more opportunity to help develop the IAIDQ.
As the British CoP gains momentum I expect to be able to build my relationships with other practitioners in the UK and further afield and strongly expect it to deliver direct business opportunities.
Keith Underdown is principal of InfoQ Consultancy, based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
