Dear Colleagues,

As 2004 IEEE President, it is my honor to welcome you to the foremost conference in engineering management, the IEEE International Engineering Management Conference, IEMC 2004. This prestigious event brings together some of the world’s best and brightest practitioners, researchers, educators and leaders to address common issues facing engineering managers worldwide.

The choice of Singapore for this year’s conference reflects the continually increasing global nature of the IEEE and the significant contributions members in this multicultural, strategically-located city have made to technological development in electronics, biomedical engineering and many other areas of concern to engineering management professionals. This meeting offers many possibilities to help engineering managers find new ways to address the ever-growing challenges they face in today’s rapidly changing world economy.

With IEEE members in more than 150 countries, conferences such as IEMC are vitally important as a forum for information exchange and networking. At IEMC 2004, attendees will learn of trends and new developments around the world and have an opportunity to bridge geographical boundaries and build and broaden personal networks. I encourage you to take advantage of this chance to get to know each other, to share knowledge and to exchange ideas. Often it is this informal interaction away from the workplace that provides a stimulus to foster creativity and accelerate change.

Finally, it is with great pleasure that I also welcome our colleagues from the Institution of Electrical Engineers, which is co-hosting this event for the first time along with the IEEE Engineering Management Society and the IEEE Singapore Section. The IEEE and the IEE have always shared common goals -- to foster technological innovation, enhance our members’ careers and promote the use of technologies for the benefit of humanity. By working together, we all can help shape the future of our profession and make the world a better place.

I wish each of you a productive and enjoyable conference and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during my time here in Singapore at IEMC 2004.

Sincerely,

Arthur W. Winston

2004 IEEE President.