2025 04 15 CAPG MEETING
Minutes of Meeting
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM (Beirut time)
Platform: Online Meeting
Attendees:
- Roger Estephan (Chair)
- Shehab Wissa Agaiby
- Abir Awad
- Aline Kahwaji
- Jane Rowsell
- Mario Terceros
- Detert, Oliver
- Doulala-Rigby, Yuli
- Chris Martin
- Pedro Fernández
- LEMOINE Anthea
- Mona Anwar
- Daniel Berro
- MILLER Bruce
- Tomasz Jagocha
- Miguel NAVARRETE
- Dr. Neelima Satyam
- Albrion Symonette
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Roger Estephan opened the meeting and welcomed participants, giving special acknowledgment to Dr. Mona Anwar, who had limited time due to conference commitments. He suggested starting with her item on the agenda to accommodate her schedule.
ISSMGE Bulletin – Presentation by Dr. Mona Anwar
- Mona introduced the ISSMGE Bulletin, a quarterly publication issued in January, March, June, and
- The Bulletin includes sections such as:
- Message from the President and Editor
- Vice Presidents’ reports by region
- Board member updates
- ISMG highlights and awards
- News from Member Societies
- Young Members' Arena
- Corporate Associates Corner: An opportunity for companies to showcase their
- Objective: Encourage corporate associates to submit concise, impactful 1–3 page project case studies to promote innovation and inspire young engineers
- Key Guidance:
- Avoid highly technical or confidential details
- Aim for a balance between informative and accessible content
- Optional inclusion of links, QR codes, images, or videos for additional detail
- Mona emphasized this is a platform for knowledge sharing, innovation dissemination, and visibility within the geotechnical
Clarifications and Questions
-
Roger asked if republishing journal articles was acceptable: Mona suggested simplifying articles and linking to
- Advertising: Mona and Yuli agreed this could be considered, but would need approval from the
- Yuli highlighted the value of striking imagery and project She also emphasized a 3-page maximum and proposed future contributions be treated as case studies rather than formal papers.
Heritage Time Capsule (HTC) – Presentation by Dr. Neelima Satyam
- HTC podcast initiative under Asia platform is live with three episodes on
- Neelima called for broader corporate participation to enrich the content with challenging project stories and diverse representation.
- She also invited feedback and ideas to enhance the platform's
Vienna 2026 Conference – Corporate Session Planning
- Roger proposed a 30-minute CAPG slot in Vienna for selected corporate presentations (~5 minutes each).
- Presentations will be voted based on innovation, sustainability, or engineering
- Yuli and Roger highlighted that Vienna event is expected to attract over 1,000 participants which will provide high exposure to the CAPG
CAPG Website Update
- Aline Kahwaji presented the revamped CAPG website featuring:
- Dedicated member pages
- Clear structure of services and activities
- Dedicated space for corporate contributions and materials
- Roger encouraged all members to submit or update their
- Jane and others praised the design and structure, highlighting the importance of aesthetics and communication in today’s digital
CAPG Marketing Campaign (Upcoming)
- Roger introduced plans for an upcoming global marketing campaign to attract more corporate
- Discussions emphasized the need for expert marketing support to develop engaging, modern communication strategies (e.g., short impactful messaging, storytelling, social media compatibility).
- Mario suggested including marketing training at ISSMGE conferences and involving clients more actively in geotechnical
Final Remarks
- The meeting concluded with appreciation for the work done on the bulletin, podcasts, and
- Further actions include drafting publishing guidelines for the Bulletin, finalizing marketing content, and confirming board decisions on advertisement
