An interview with Andy Watts
An essential part of making asset management more widespread and accessible is sharing knowledge with those in the industry. At Asset Wisdom, we recognise that our own development is crucial to help us further support our learners and peers, and we are always striving to grow through our own learning.
We’ve recently begun to share audio files of key conversations with major players in the field of asset management as one way to achieve this goal. One hugely valuable interview we held was with Andy Watts, MD, Institute of Asset Management. In the recorded interview, Andy gave us an overview of what the Institute of Asset Management (IAM)’s goals are and shared how these are developing to meet new challenges on global scale.
Spreading the word digitally
Andy explained that, naturally, one of the key challenges we are all facing in every field today is one of being distant from one another, and therefore moving learning online. Face-to-face has been an often preferred way to share knowledge in the asset management field. However, Andy encouraged industry-endorsed trainers who deliver training in person to supplement their training with online learning. In turn, he championed the use of webinars and workshops to enhance the online learning as ways to extend knowledge sharing and provide further support.
Andy recognised that, whilst digitisation can be challenging, our asset management industry must take the opportunities for remote working and use technology to our advantage. His ideas were innovative, including use of technology and 3D visualisation to create models to view assets, adding this greater dimension to remote learning.
Providing a network of support
As an institute, one goal of the IAM is to make sure asset management professionals are fully-recognised. Andy revealed that the IAM is launching a register of professionals, which is currently in pilot form. It would allow those in the industry or those looking for courses to discover those who are fully-approved to deliver optimal learning.
Giving credit to IAM members and volunteers, Andy stressed the importance of having a good network in place to develop knowledge and share guidance. He gratefully recognised there’s lots of enthusiasm within the industry, and credited employers happy to allow the time to be given to the IAM initiatives though employee and organisational learning, as well as seeing it as an opportunity for self-development.
Finally, in terms of the institute’s own development, Andy explained that, while ISO55000 sets the bar, the IAM wants to take organisations on a journey of maturity above and beyond this ISO standard.
You can listen to the first interview with Andy Watts here. The recently released second part of the interview can be found here.
At Asset Wisdom, our ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning motto to make asset management available to everyone is even more important in the current climate. Our learning materials and courses continue to be able to be studied remotely at a time and place to suit the learner, championing the importance of spreading the asset management message.
To discover more about our courses, click here to find the learning that’s right for you.
