Farewell Message from Alexander ter Kuile, CANSO

"Today is my last day with CANSO and it is time to say farewell to you all. Over the last nine years I have made innumerable friends around the world and it is impossible for me to say farewell to each one of you personally. So I am afraid I have to use this rather impersonal letter to say farewell to everyone. It may sound like a terrible cliché, but my years at CANSO have flown by and I have enjoyed every day of every week. It has been a wonderful adventure and unrivalled education for me, but most of all it has been an absolute privilege to lead this great organisation. I would like to publicly thank the ANSPs for giving me this unique opportunity. It is not often that one gets asked to build a global association, to promote new thinking in aviation or to help shape the future of an entire industry sector. It has been very exciting to see the developments and to witness change slowly taking hold. Ive seen ANSPs start to engage, build confidence and trust, and launch more and more programs. Ive noticed stakeholders increasingly change their attitudes towards us, and how ultimately CANSO has gained worldwide recognition. When I joined the association on 1st January 2001, CANSO had 23 Full Members, 13 Associates and 3 staff, the budget was Euro 470.000. Today we have 55 Full Members, 50 Associates, 17 staff and our budget has broken Euro 2.5 Million. This is more than a five-fold increase in what have been difficult times, with the aftermath of 11 September 2001, and the current economic crisis. Yet, the organisation continues to grow in both size and influence. Initially, I had to beg conferences to offer me a late afternoon speaking slot. Today CANSO receives invitations to present the key-note address at leading aviation events. It has been an incredible journey and I want to thank every one of you for making this possible, for believing in CANSOs success. I hope you will join me in wishing the new DG Graham Lake every success in this fantastic position. From the 1st January 2010 I will be a free man. No more meetings, no more conferences and no more endless flights. I am looking forward to reconnecting with my friends and family and to plan my next steps. I still have dreams to realise and projects to complete. But, I will also miss the many new friends in CANSO and beyond. Butperhaps there will be another day and a new opportunity. I wish you all Seasons Greetings and perhaps Au Revoir or as we say in Dutch, tot ziens. "