Fish to Focus on Keeping Your Head Above Water at BMI Club Management Course

Industry stalwart Kevin Fish will reveal how to balance the pull of tradition with the needs of the modern consumer at the fifth course to be offered under the Business Management Institute [BMI] Asia Pacific education programme.

To be staged at Kuala Lumpur’s Kota Permai Golf & Country Club from July 24-28, the BMI Club Management Course is presented by the Asian Golf Industry Federation [AGIF] and the Club Managers Association of America [CMAA].

As the official partner, the certification programme powered by CMAA is being executed by the AGIF.

Heading the high-profile presenters are Fish, a former United Kingdom Club Manager of the Year, and Jason Koenigsfeld, the CMAA’s Senior Vice President of Professional Development.

Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are once more extremely fortunate to have such prominent presenters of the calibre of Jason and Kevin and also a venue of the quality of Kota Permai. We very much look forward to welcoming attendees from Malaysia and around the region.

“Our previous BMI courses in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand underscored the need for this type of education and Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification in Asia.”

Fish, who sits on the CMAA Professional Development Committee responsible for overseeing the curriculum throughout the globe, said: “I can’t wait to visit Malaysia for the first time and help support the club management professionals in the region to fulfil their potential.

“My time in Asia has so far been restricted to Hong Kong where my father-in-law worked for a while as a veterinary surgeon in that fantastic city.

“Scotland has an international reputation for being the home of golf but is arguably also the birthplace of clubs, and I look forward to helping local club managers to balance the pull of tradition with the needs of the modern consumer.”

Koenigsfeld, who was a presenter at last December’s BMI Leadership Course at TPC Kuala Lumpur, said: “I am honoured to be returning to Asia to assist with the BMI Club Management Course. I look forward to learning from the participants as well as bringing them new ideas from around the world.”

Tang Meng Loon, Senior Group General Manager – Gamuda Land Clubs, said Kota Permai, a Golf Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, was pleased to play host to the AGIF’s latest BMI course.

He said: “It is through top-level gatherings such as this that club managers from Malaysia and around the region can enhance their knowledge and become better at what they do.

“We fully support the objectives of the education programme in enhancing manager knowledge and skills in a variety of areas.”

Fish has more than 20 years of experience in the club industry, including nine years serving as the Manager of the Glen Golf Club in North Berwick, during which time he won the United Kingdom Club Manager of the Year award and was in the first group of managers to secure the CCM designation in Europe.

He spent seven years with the National Governing Body for golf in Scotland where he led a team specialising in supporting golf clubs to take a more business-like approach to their operations through a combination of effective governance, business planning and manager development.

Fish was the Chairman of the CMAE Education Policy Board that introduced formal structured education to the club industry in Europe and as the Governance Gatekeeper in Europe consistently achieves high evaluations from delegates across the continent. He now runs his own training and consultancy firm, Contemporary Club Leadership Ltd.

Meanwhile, Koenigsfeld graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science degree and went on to major in Hotel Administration before being employed at John’s Island Club. There, he worked in every department of the club’s operation, learning all facets of a major private club.

He received his Master of Science degree in 2005 and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2007 from Auburn University. His doctorate dissertation – Developing an Industry Specific Managerial Competency Model for Private Club Managers in the United States Based on Important and Frequently Used Management Competencies – helps establish the basis for club management professional development and certification programmes in the United States as well as internationally.

A Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) through the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Koenigsfeld has conducted numerous education sessions on topics including leadership, management competencies, management and delegation, strategic planning and team development for the Club Managers Association of Southern Africa, the Club Managers Association of Europe, the China Chapter of CMAA, the Canadian Society of Club Managers, The Private Club Alliance of Russia and for CMAA.

Furthermore, he’s published a number of articles in both academic peer reviewed journals as well as trade magazines and has received awards and lectured at numerous hospitality programmes in the United States as well as in Russia.

Koenigsfeld’s areas of expertise include strategic planning, personality assessments, team development, leadership, organisational change, management and delegation and career planning and development.

In 2015, the CMAA appointed the AGIF to execute the BMI education programme for the Asia Pacific region in partnership with existing CMAA partners in China, Hong Kong, Macau and New Zealand.

The BMI is a professional development programme developed and launched by the CMAA in the early 1980s. Noting managers at all phases of their careers need instruction, education or inspiration, the concept of the ‘lifetime professional development programme’ was born.

The vision was realised as a multi campus-based programme that provides tangible career benchmarks by which managers can track their progress and strive for various levels of competency, including a respected certification.

The curriculum is based on 10 competency areas covering every aspect of a club manager’s job.

In the CMAA 2015 Compensation and Benefits Report, it was reported that the head of club’s compensation with CCM designation was 31% higher than a head of club’s compensation without CCM designation.

The BMI programmes are completely endorsed and empowered by CMAA and is equivalent to what one can receive in the United States.

BMI course-takers need not be members of the CMAA or the AGIF. The cost for the Kuala Lumpur course is US$1,400 for delegates who are members of the AGIF and US$1,600 for non-members.

For conference registrations and enquiries, please email: pk.ong@agif.asia