Singapore: Claire Llewellin-Davis, General Manager at Hollandse Club in Singapore, has gained the coveted and globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation.

Llewellin-Davis was one of four Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) members to pass the seven-hour examination in order to gain their CCM status.

An individual member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, Llewellin-Davis said: “I moved into Club management in 2009 after a great eight years in the Army. Some of the aspects I missed most from my previous career were the opportunities for development, both personal and professional, and the camaraderie of like-minded individuals.

“I was delighted, therefore, to discover the Club Managers Association (Europe) in 2017. They have provided a fantastic education in all aspects of club management in the journey to CCM accreditation and made it a thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable experience along the way.

“I am very pleased to have found a new tribe of fun, talented and professional colleagues and friends, and I am enjoying applying all I have learned to be the best I can be.”

After moving to Asia and taking up her post at Hollandse Club, Llewellin-Davis linked up with the AGIF.

She said: “I was very pleased to join the AGIF in 2020, one of the partners with CMAA in the Asia-Pacific region, to continue my professional development whilst in Singapore.

“Their monthly webinars have been excellent. I am very much looking forward to the time when travel opens, and I can meet the AGIF industry professionals in person. It’s another great network of like-minded professionals.”

Like the CMAE in Europe, the AGIF is an affiliate of the CMAA for the Asian region, facilitating the education and activities which lead to the CCM degree throughout Asia.

The AGIF works with national bodies, sanctioning their education and association activities as part of the Pathway to the CCM. 

The AGIF is also in the process of launching a Diploma in Club Management, a certification which can be achieved along the pathway toward the CCM.

Eric Lynge, CEO of the AGIF, said: “We have decided to roll out the Diploma in Club Management after review with our club management education committee, and receiving the blessing of the CMAA.

“The Diploma is really a three-quarter point towards the CCM. Most of the same qualifications and content as the CCM will be part of the Diploma.

“We found that it is important to recognise this group at reaching this level which has already necessitated a strong commitment in terms of time and rigour in content and which will already have a positive impact on the facilities which they are managing.”

In order to sit the CCM exam, Llewellin-Davis and other candidates had to complete the full Management Development Programme (MDP) pathway, attend the World Conference on Club Management in the United States and accumulate enough education and association credits within CMAE guidelines in order to become eligible.

The CCM exam itself is a seven-hour examination, combining a multiple choice test along with a written case study.

The CCM designation has been the hallmark of professionalism in club management since 1965 and is the cornerstone of CMAE’s education programme. It is a valuable and widely respected mark of a manager’s commitment to professional development and the club industry.

The other three CMAE members to gain CCM designation were Chris Duffy, General Manager at Modry Las Golf Resort in Poland, Cyprien Comoy, Director of Membership & Communications at Vidauban Golf Club in France, and Scott Patience, a Management Consultant in England.

The success of the four candidates raises the number of Certified Club Managers in Europe and the Middle East to 65.