The NETWORK, the first English-speaking professional network in Luxembourg, held its Annual Extraordinary General Meeting (AEGM) on the evening of Wednesday 18 March 2020.

In light of recent developments and in line with government measures related to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the AEGM was held as an online meeting for the first time. Members of The NETWORK gathered remotely to review the previous years' activities, approve the financial statements for the past year, look at the auditor's report and appoint the new Board. The meeting was called to order by President Marie Louis Ashworth, conducted by General Secretary Jane-Anne Frankel and facilitated by Vice President Amy Amann.

President's Report

After having approved the AEGM agenda and the minutes of the 2019 AGM, The NETWORK's Marie Louise Ashworth presented the president's report. The returning president noted that 2019 was yet another amazing year for The NETWORK in terms of events.  With thanks to the Events Committee, the association held events on a diverse range of topics centred around The NETWORK's four pillars: Professional Development; Personal Growth; Community Issues; and of course, Networking.

In terms of attendance, 2019 saw an increase of between 46 and 55 people per event, with a record of 84 attendees at one single event: Similarly, membership numbers saw over 50% growth, from 82 in 2018 to 136 members in 2019. Marie Louise Ashworth added that there had also been an increase in male participants in events, thus adding to the diversity of The NETWORK.

Regarding the new website, Marie Louise Ashworth stressed that the next few months would bring new blogs and increased interaction with members, with extra add-ons still to come. In this way, The NETWORK is "keeping up with the digital age", starting with the AGM webinar. 

The NETWORK's president concluded her 2019 report by thanking all the Board members for their contribution over the past year.

Financial Statements & Auditor's Report

Members approved both the financial statements and the auditor's report, presented by outgoing Treasurer Mariana Florea and General Secretary Jane-Anne Frankel. Regarding the latter report, Jane-Anne confirmed that the chosen auditor, Fatoumata Kaba from Solution Fiduciaire Luxembourg S.A. (SFL) had reviewed the accounts and confirmed the audit carried out as well as the total balance sheet and profits for the year.

New Board

Following the discharge of the previous Board, members approved the appointment of Board members for 2020/21. Board members are appointed for a period of three years.

The new Board is thus composed of the following:

  • President Marie-Louise Ashworth
  • Vice-President Amy Amann
  • Treasurer Sonia Franck
  • General Secretary Muriel Hélène Buchet
  • Communications Director Amy Amann (temporary)
  • Membership Director Renata Ubaviciute
  • Events Director Marie-Louise Ashworth (temporary)


Commenting on her time on the Board, outgoing General Secretary Jane-Anne Frankel said she was "happy to hand over to Muriel. I'm sure she'll continue to do a good job". She continued: "I think when you're a team and you pull together, that's what makes it all worthwhile", that and the members, she added.

For her part, outgoing Communications Director Andreea Munteanu, who will continue to support the association, commented: "It's been a great ride and I've enjoyed so much being part of the board team". She added: "We should really be proud of what we've achieved so far and hope that we keep on raising the bar in the coming years".
Participants then approved the powers of formalities, before reconvening for the EGM.

EGM

The main item on the agenda of the EGM was the change of The NETWORK's registered address to an address in Kehlen. BUROS will remain the established and postal address. This change was approved.  

Returning president Marie-Louise concluded the AEGM by stressing the success of the online format, which may be the way forward for the association in the coming months if the current situation continues. Indeed, she recalled that The NETWORK wishes to continue supporting its members at this challenging time. The next event is scheduled for 22 April 2020 and will take the form of a webinar entitled "Be Bold". Registrations will continue to be made via Eventbrite.

In addition to once again thanking the entire Board, committees and members, Marie Louise stated: "Amy and I are extremely proud to run the board. We can confidently say that we are a professional women's network led by professional women".