KMGN Annual Course. KM in the new era – From Strategy to Impact

Board of Directors (BoD) meetings summaries

Summary

BoD meeting: January 20, 2026

Participants:

Ajda Turk, Alexandre Zivkovic, Anahit Gasparyan, Andrew Herd, Angshumala Sarmah, Faiz Salemat, Julia Frozza, Hary Rayden, Hideshi Sawaki, Kelebogile Mosimege, Madanmohan Rao, Manfred Bornemann, Mariana Lima, Moria Levy, Nakenton K., Olga Smirnova, Pavel Kraus, Punyapat Saksupapchon, Randhir Pushpa, Refiloe Mabaso, Rudolf D'Souza, Stuard French, Vadim Shiryaev, Ved Prakash, Viktor Eyong.

Summary:

The January 2026 Board meeting marked the leadership transitions, the establishment of a bold strategic vision for the year ahead, and the launch of "Institutionalisation 3.0." The Board honoured Manfred Bornemann for his immense contributions and officially welcomed Júlia Frozza to the Co-Leading Team. Building on 2025’s achievements—including the Annual Course, KM Global Week, the Storytelling Guide, KM Landscape, and KM Wiki—the Board established a comprehensive and robust vision and plan for 2026, focusing on capability building, collaborative forums, flagship projects, and shared infrastructure. Supported by a stable financial surplus, the network is positioned to scale its coverage and impact. Immediate next steps include the reactivation of committees, networks' contributions to the KMGN knowledge base, and the promotion of and registration for the 2026 Annual Course.

1.1. Opening and Recognition

Opening and Recognition

The meeting opened with warm thanks to Manfred Bornemann (GfWm, Austria) for his outstanding service as a Co-Leading Team member from 2023 to 2025, and as Chair for 2024. His strategic focus, consistency, and support for global collaboration have significantly shaped the evolution of KMGN.

We also welcomed Júlia Frozza (SBGC, Brazil) to the Co-Leading Team and as Chair-designate for 2027 — a strong professional voice from the Latin American region, bringing fresh energy and commitment to collaboration.

Ved Prakash (India KM Society) took over as the KMGN Chair for 2026 from Olga Smirnova (SKIMC, Russia).

1.2. 2025 – Key Outputs and Outcomes

2025 was a productive year marked by strong content creation, network growth, and expanded collaboration across projects.

Flagship Projects:

Annual Course 2025 (Moria Levy and team of experts): The course continued to serve as a flagship KMGN offer, bringing together diverse KM voices and increasing both reach and reputation. Feedback confirmed the strong practical relevance of the format.
KM Landscape (Andrew Herd): The project entered its second phase, with greater emphasis on practical application and shared language. Andrew emphasised the value of bi-weekly co-creation as a way to connect strategy, language, and action across KM communities.
Industry-specific KMGN Wiki (Randhir Pushpa): The first industry prototype (Oil & Gas) was developed. The structure — based on personas and knowledge flows — was designed to be scalable and AI-supported. Next step: industry expansion with sector leads.
Business Storytelling Guide (Pavel Kraus): The model was piloted in several European KM events and received good feedback. Pavel shared plans to integrate AI-supported peer consulting into the storytelling approach.
Research Community (Vincent Ribière & Moria Levy): Over 14 sessions were held with diverse global experts. The next step is to co-develop a KM research agenda with active member input and thematic focus.
KM Global Week (Moria Levy and network leaders): Hosted in multiple regions and languages, KM Week 2025 strengthened the culture of contribution and public awareness of KM globally.

Part 2: Vision 2026

2.1. Vision and Priorities for 2026

KMGN continues to act as a global thought leader in KM, focusing on the following areas: capability building, collaborative forums, flagship projects, shared infrastructure and strengthening governance.
The year will bring new initiatives — including Lec-dem sessions on use of AI for KM, KMGN book club, new project on KM in Sustainability in KM, podcasts, and expert directory — alongside continued support for core offerings such as the Annual Course, Global Week, and the KM Landscape. Committees will be reactivated to support communication, partnerships, content, and digital development.

2.2. KMGN Institutionalisation 3.0

KMGN Institutionalisation. Version 3.0. (attached) was presented by the Collaboration Committee. Thanks to Madan, Vadim, and all the co-creators.

2.3. Bangkok Meeting – March 2026

An in-person KMGN meeting is confirmed in Bangkok on 18th March 2026, in partnership with the Global MIKE Awards and K-Impact Forum. The event will provide space for strategic alignment, shared reflection, and strengthened relationships across networks. Participation remains open for interested BoD members.

Part 3: Next steps

Save the date: Next Board Connect – April 23, 2026

3. Next Steps – Call to Action

Update the list of BoD members and network representatives on the KMGN website
Nominate members to join KMGN committees
Confirm your network’s contribution to the KMGN knowledge base
Register for the Annual Course 2026 (starting February 3)

BoD meeting: July 3d 2025

Participants: Andrew Herd, Angshumala Sarmah, David Williams, Faiz Salemat, Julia Frozza, Hideshi Sawaki, Kholane Chauke, Kristina Mirchuk, Manfred Bornemann, Moria Levy, Olga Smirnova, Pavel Kraus, Randhir Pushpa, Refiloe Mabaso, Rudolf D'Souza, Stuard French, Vadim Shiryaev, Ved Prakash.

Summary:

The July 2025 KMGN Board meeting reaffirmed the network’s strategic focus on enabling KM’s evolution through trend leadership, financial stewardship, and high-impact initiatives. The updated KM Trends Map highlighted AI, culture, and strategy as key vectors of change. Financially, KMGN is stable and ready to invest in KM industry and community development. Major projects — the Annual Course, KM Landscape, Storytelling Guide, and KM Wiki — are progressing with strong global participation and tangible outputs. Insights from the Dublin KM Summit emphasised the growing urgency of linking KM to business strategy, critical thinking, and organisational culture. KM Week 2025 is set to continue building community momentum through local-global collaboration.

KM Industry drivers map

1. KM Industry Drivers and Trends

Leads: Olga Smirnova, Moria Levy, Manfred Bornemann, Vadim Shiryaev

The updated KM Trends Map was shared, structured through PESTLE analysis and aligned with ISO KM processes (Sharing, Application, Retention, Creation). The map reflects priority trends shaping KM in both the short (1–3 years) and mid-term (3–5 years).

Key themes:

Generative AI as the primary transformation trigger in the KM profession;
Rising importance of critical thinking and sense-making in an AI-saturated environment;
A renewed emphasis on culture, leadership, and strategic positioning of KM;

There is a need for an institutionalised, repeatable process of trend monitoring and response.

This shared trend map is positioned as a collective investment in the KM industry — a tool for individual practitioners, organisations, and networks alike.

Part 2: Current Projects

2.1. KMGN Annual Course

Leads: Moria Levy, Vincent Ribière
Purpose: To build a global, future-ready community of KM professionals through a deep, high-quality learning program.

Achievements:

2025 course completed successfully with 60 certified graduates;
High satisfaction and recognition across the global community;
Clear impact: participants reported practical takeaways applied “the next morning.”

Next steps:

2026 course in development. Working title: KM in the new era: From strategy planning to execution;
Will cover: strategy, change, leadership, and organisational culture in times of AI;
Continued focus on practitioner cases and global knowledge diversity;
The course is now considered a flagship contribution of KMGN to the profession.

"This is something I wish I had 20 years ago when I joined KM. It’s the tool that helps you figure out where you belong in this wide church we call knowledge management."
Stuart French

Project page

2.2. KM Landscape Project

Lead: Andrew Herd
Purpose: To co-create a comprehensive knowledge map of the KM discipline, through a global, participatory process.

Achievements:

110+ participants from 30+ countries;
Dual structure of five technical domains (people, process, content, technology, governance) and four applications (organizational, societal, personal, and scientific);
Rich glossary and term base under construction — with definitions, usage examples, and references;
Fully community-led design, applying genuine co-creation.

Next steps:

Move into the co-creative learning phase with global networks and communities;
Deliverables may include: KM glossary, thesaurus, knowledge map, knowledge graph, and scientific publications;
All KMGN members are invited to influence and shape this next stage.

2.3. Business-Aligned KM / Storytelling Guide

Leads: Pavel Kraus, Manfred Bornemann
Purpose: To bridge KM with business priorities by using structured storytelling tailored for executives.

Achievements:

Developed a structured storytelling canvas linking KM problems to strategic pain points;
Based on real organizational stories and “talking points” known and trusted internally;
Designed to build trust and legitimacy at the executive level.

Next steps:

Prepare final version for public release;
Position it as a KM advocacy tool, especially for strategy-level conversations.

2.4. KM Wiki Project

Leads: Randhir Pushpa, Ved Prakash

Purpose: To create an open, editable KM knowledge base tailored to specific industries and roles.

Achievements:

Pilot completed for the Oil & Gas sector using AI to draft content;
Covers value chains, key KPIs, industry personas, and matching KM interventions;
Built using MediaWiki; early access provided via private infrastructure.

Next steps:

Migration to KMGN platform after resolving permission issues;
SME validation of AI-generated content;
Expansion to new sectors (Retail, BFSI, Manufacturing);
Call for KMGN volunteers to lead sector-specific builds.

Part 3: KM Week (20–24 October 2025)

“If we have a World Chocolate Day, we certainly deserve a Global KM Week.”

Project page

Leads: Moria Levy + Global Network Leads

The flagship community-wide celebration and contribution continues. KM Week 2025 will follow a global-local format:

Monthly roundtables per continent after KM Week help us to share key takeaways and promote the following year's festival:
December summit on KM Trends across major KM networks;

First kickoff:

July 17, 2025. 12:00 UTC — All members are encouraged to participate and take the lead.

Part 4: Informal discussion. Knowledge Summit Dublin

"We talk about AI’s power, but without KM it’s just noise. KM brings meaning, coherence and purpose to technology."

Rudolf D’Souza

Insights from the KM Summit in Dublin

Reflections shared by Rudolf D’Souza and Stuart French

Event design:

Reversed structure: no classic presentations, but active, two-way dialogues;
Strong human-centered atmosphere and peer-level exchange;
Use of an app to sustain community and track conversations in real time.

Key takeaways:

Strategy before tools: AI is widely discussed but often lacks strategic grounding. KM gives that context and direction.
Critical thinking at risk: If AI does the thinking, what’s left for humans? KMers must defend and train sense-making and reflection.
KM still misunderstood: Much of what is called KM is actually information management. The profession must reclaim its unique strategic space.
Culture matters most: Real KM only works when embedded in culture — not just platforms and processes.
Courage is required: Practitioners must learn to deal with resistance, politics, and scapegoating. Not just “how to do KM,” but “how to survive while doing it.”

BoD meeting: January 28th 2025

Participants: Alexander Zivkovic, Andreas Matern, Julia Frozza, Hideshi Sawaki, Kholane Chauke, Larizza Thurler, Manfred Bornemann, Moria Levy, Olga Smirnova, Pavel Kraus, Rajesh Dhillon, Rudolf D'Souza, Stuard French, Vadim Shiryaev, Ved Prakash, Vincent Ribiere.

The KMGN Board Meeting set the course for global KM leadership, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. Key 2024 achievements included 21 weeks of KM seminars, a successful Global KM Week, industry roundtables, and network expansion. In 2025, KMGN will focus on active engagement, leadership development, and shifting from competition to co-creation, guided by culture, sustainability, and strategic impact principles. Upcoming initiatives include the Annual KM Course (Feb 4), Research Community Meeting (Feb 26), Asia Roundtables (Mar 27), and Global KM Week (Oct 19-24). A major highlight is the KMGN Wiki Project, a collaborative knowledge-sharing platform offering practical KM insights.

1. Key Results 2024. Achievements & Outcomes

Leadership & Contributions – Special recognition for Faiz, whose contributions helped institutionalize KMGN, including launching the global HacKMthons and establishing the KMGN Secretariat.
Successful Events & Initiatives:
- 21 weeks of KM seminars with full documentation.
- Global KM Week with over 100 events and activities.
- Industry Roundtables & Talks providing interactive discussions on KM trends.
- Website improvements, including a functional event calendar.
- Support for the MIKE Award and increased global participation.
- Presence in key KM conferences (GLINK, KM Summit, KM2Go, etc.).
Network Growth – Expansion into Hungary, with Finland and Italy as potential new members.
Internal Operations & Communication:
- Strengthened collaboration across committees, including finance, IT, Google Workspace, Zoom, and YouTube.
- Enhanced internal governance structures and operational efficiency.

KMGN 2025 Manifest.pdf

2. Strategy & Vision for 2025

KMGN’s Vision – To become the global thought leader in KM, setting the agenda and inspiring individuals, organizations, and communities to leverage KM for business results and intellectual capital growth.
Mission – Advancing KM innovation and implementation, fostering global collaboration, and ensuring sustainable impact.
Strategic Priorities:
- Shifting from registration to active membership, encouraging stronger engagement.
- Developing new KM leaders to sustain momentum as veteran leaders retire.
- Emphasizing collaboration over competition, promoting knowledge co-creation.
Guiding Principles:
- Culture as the foundation – Knowing, Doing, Being Collaborative.
- Breaking barriers – Beyond politics, religion, and divisions.
- Co-ownership of projects – Driving KM for collective benefit.
- Sustainability – Ensuring long-term impact and continued innovation.
- Strategic Thinking – Achieving balanced short, mid, and long-term results.

3. Next Activities & Events

9. Regular activities and projects:

Annual KM Course – Launching on February 4, 2025.
KM Research Community Meeting – Scheduled for February 26, 2025.
Asia-Focused KM Roundtables – Happening on March 27, 2025.
KM Global Week 2025 – Confirmed for October 19-24, 2025.
KM Landscape 2025 – Started January, 24

10. Expansion of KM Sharing Events – A shift from one-time events to recurring global knowledge exchanges every two months.

11. Strengthening Digital Presence – Continued improvements in website, social media outreach, and governance structures.

12. Increasing Partnerships – Collaboration with external KM organizations and networks to drive joint projects.

4. KMGN Wiki Project: KM Tips & Tricks

13. Why the Wiki? – Members seek practical, actionable KM advice, yet existing resources are either outdated, scattered, or behind paywalls.

14. Purpose – Create a collaborative, community-driven knowledge base where members can share real-world experiences, best practices, and solutions.

15. How It Works:

Members ask questions and contribute answers, fostering an interactive learning environment.
Content is categorized by Tips & Tricks, Best Practices, Success/Failure Stories, and references to external KM resources.
A governance structure with voluntary editors to ensure quality and relevance.

16. Future Potential – The possibility of integrating AI-powered tools (e.g., a chatbot for KM queries) to enhance accessibility and usability.

17. Next Steps – Establishing the project leadership and launching a pilot version to gather feedback and refine functionality.

BoD meting: September 17th 2024

Participants: Ahmed Alfaddagi, Aino Kianto, Alexander Zivkovic, Andreas Matern, Chulatep Senivongse, Manfred Bornemann, Moria Levy, Olga Smirnova, Refiloe Mabaso, Vadim Shiryaev, Ved Prakash, Vincent Ribiere, Zoltán Pásztory.

The KMGN BOD Meeting focused on introducing new participants from Finland, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia and discussing the Knowledge Management Week (KM Week) preparations.

KMGN committees and supporters will ensure alignment between the global and country networks, so that local challenges and innovations are communicated and shared globally, and global initiatives are accessible to local KM practitioners.

Overview of KM Week Activities

Moria Levy provided a detailed overview of the KM Week, including its purpose, format, and the importance of global participation. important documents are the Miro Board https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVM8ECBVk=/ and a form to support the planning of events in the context of the KM Week https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17kY6QrwT9Cf-mBAdXq3aNKVprG7FgpQ--ce6fYmFGDc/edit?gid=0#gid=0 Both documents are subject to frequent changes and updates.

To support the communication efforts of KMGN on LinkedIn, X and other channels, we suggest to use #GlobalKMWeek to support handy connection of all activities. The KMGN Website will be updated to serve as a one stop shop for this great event.

Several countries and communities already committed support, such as Brazil, South Africa, USA, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, India and counting -

In three breakout groups, the participants worked on 4 pillars to support KM global week.

BoD meting: June 11th 2024

Participants: Ajda Turk, Alexander Zivkovic, Andreas Matern, David Williams, Faiz Selamat, Hary Febriansyah, Hideshi Sawaki, Larriza Thurler, Manfred Bornemann, Moria Levy, Olga Smirnova, Rajesh Dhillon, Refiloe Mabaso, Ritu Grover, Swapna Umakanth, Vadim Shiryaev, Ved Prakash, Vincent Ribiere, Sergey Voinov.

Links

Miro board

Insights for Network Management

The next meeting is planned for September 17, 2024, including preparations for KM Week in October.

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVKP_gO50=/?moveToWidget=3458764591315449512&cot=14

1. Review Role and Purpose of KMGN – new are and new potential of KM industry

Reinforcement of Knowledge Management (KM) as critical in integrating people and technology.

Exploring the promotion of KM at personal, team, organizational, and network levels. What are we doing now as individuals, and what can we do together? Various members shared their approaches to advocating for KM, including publications, events, and integrating KM into business practices. We've created a list of ideas about what we can do together: a sort of content that helps us elevate KM to a proper place, principles on how to collaborate better, and activities for promoting KM.

Based on this brainstorming, we will identify the projects for the second half of the year.

“Insights for Network Management” (FAQ) Project is delivering insights which will be shared in July

LINK

2. Digital Presence – Ideas on how to increase our awareness

KMGN has three main doors for communication:

LinkedIn (link)

Purpose – to be a STAGE where we share the achievements of our members and raise a discussion which drives KM industry forward

Sharing and discussing hints and tips on how to implement KM
Updates about KMGN and network members' activities

Google Website (link)

Purpose – designed to function as a WALL, where we collect and present critical messages about KMGN, our members, and our activities.

Explain and position who KMGN and our members are;
Shared knowledge base with all open-to-use materials, case studies, tools, etc.

WhatsApp (link)

Purpose – to be a CAFE, where establish a space for open collaboration (anybody can initiate discussion, activity or project around KM)

Discussion around specific projects or subjects (like ISO, AI, research, collaboration, etc.)
Publish Announcements, Share links to content

The next step we will do to update the KMGN website and network pages:

Regularly collect and publish info about your events with descriptions
Establish a process for networks to publish research summaries, articles, and other materials in a knowledge base.
Update the network’s pages and follow your requests – please share your vision about your pages.
Create a unified, collaborative platform for KMGN members to share resources, insights, and best practices.

We also appreciate your improvements and ideas. We would happily discuss ways to leverage international connections at the next BoD meeting.

3. Creative Commons as Strategy

Goal: Utilize Creative Commons licensing to facilitate open sharing and collaboration while explicitly respecting ownership and credits for creating content. We wish to be clear that the usual legal status for co-creation will be CC-BY.

Discussion: Encourage the use of open resources and shared tools to enhance KM practices across the network. Awareness creation was successful - further discussions as required

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