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Embark on a journey to KAM excellence
AKAM’s goal is to enhance Key Account Management through learning, support and connections. AKAM, a non-profit professional membership organisation, fosters understanding and collaboration among key account managers and programme leaders. Our members gain access to the latest research and opportunities, promoting continuous growth in KAM practices. Since 2016, AKAM’s influence has expanded worldwide through online events and resources.Â
Empowering Key Account Management Professionals
The Association for Key Account Management is committed to advancing the practice of Key Account Management (KAM) through a global community of professionals. Our mission is to elevate the understanding, recognition, and standards of KAM. With a rich history of milestones and achievements, AKAM stands as a beacon for KAM excellence.
Improve your KAM practices through education and networking. Benefit from expert assistance, research, tools, and training & connect with a global network of professionals, scholars, and industry leaders who share valuable insights and advance KAM standards.
Uncover the benefits of AKAM membership
AKAM generates new knowledge and insights through sponsoring research
AKAM acts as a support hub and home for KAM practitioners, experts and new ideas
AKAM fosters professionalism in key account management (KAM)
AKAM establishes and certifies educational and developmental standards in KAM
AKAM develops professional qualifications for KAM practitioners
AKAM raises standards of performance and practice in the KAM profession
Qualifications
How can you prove your KAM expertise? Whatever stage you are at, one of AKAM’s two in-work, online routes to qualification will bring real benefit to your career: DipProKAM for the super-experienced,
Postgraduate Certificate for everyone else
Member Resources
Member Resources contains a vast mount of KAM-focused material to help you with your KAM role, whether KAM lead or key account manager. Easy-to-use search functions quickly find what you need.
Exclusive Events
AKAM’s events include workshops, conferences, and webinars designed to help you grow your KAM expertise. And connect with like-minded professionals and advance your career in KAM.
Networking
You can make email contact with other key account managers and program leaders. Ask questions, get advice and support and build your personal network at the same time.
Resources & counting
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"Through AKAM, Hiab now has a network of likeminded professionals, consultants and academics in support of our journey to optimise Key Account Management. AKAM helped me enormously in my endeavours to learn about KAM."
"Every Pfizer colleague has access to AKAM's network, its great resources on the website, engaging events and much more. Pfizer has been a proud and active and will continue whilst we gain so much value."
Our members
AKAM consists of a healthily mixed community of five constituencies with different takes on KAM that add to each others’ understanding.Â
Corporate companies pursuing KAM programs
Individual key account managers seeking support
Educational institutions developing a new offering in KAM
Academics looking for new links and participants in their research
Consultants and trainers offering KAM support and services
Guiding AKAM's Vision
Explore the team driving the future of KAM excellence. Discover more about our Operations Board members and their contributions by hovering over the images below.
Geoff Quinn
Business Development Team Lead Europe & China Pfizer, AKAM Chairman
As the Senior Director of Business Development for Europe UK and China, I lead a team of professionals who support innovative pharma organisations in bringing their breakthroughs to patients who need them.
With over a decade of experience in strategic marketing and account management at Pfizer, I have built and maintained long-term relationships with key accounts, delivered customer-centric solutions, and driven revenue growth. I am passionate about creating value for our customers, our company, and our society through excellence, collaboration, and innovation.
DR DIANA WOODBURN
BSc, MSc, MBA, PhD, FCIM: AKAM President
Began researching and lecturing in KAM at Cranfield School of Management in 1997. Also became an author, consultant and company coach, dedicated to KAM since 2005. Co-author with Malcolm McDonald of ‘Key Account Management: the definitive guide’, and the ‘Handbook of Strategic Account Management’ with Kevin Wilson. A marketing practitioner in various sectors globally.
RICHARD ILSLEY
B.Sc, B.Eng, MBA, Fellow Strategic Planning Society, AKAM Deputy Chairman
Managing Partner with the Key Account Management Group. Leads sales strategy and account management projects with major corporations around the world. Conference speaker and author of ‘Best Practice – A Manager’s Guide’ and co-author of the PocketBooks Key Account Management. Manager of the largest global network of Account Managers.
JOHN BAILEY
Director – International Key Accounts, Hiab AB, AKAM Secretary
40+ years in International sales and Key Account Management. The majority of his career has been in sales and account management within Hiab AB, a global provider of on-road load handling equipment. A firm believer in the development and ever changing world of KAM and keen to share his passion and experience with individuals that want to make KAM their chosen career.
DOMINYKAS CIBULSKAS
Partner Customer Care, Key Account Management, General Management at SIA ZB Master degree in International Trade.
20 years of practice in KAM and Sales in FMCG, Pharma & Food in the Baltic states, from Key Account Manager to General Manager. Also Sales, KAM and Management consultant advising other companies. Passionate KAM practitioner and supporter.
ARMELLE DUPONT DAUPEYROUX
Master’s Degree Food & Beverage Engineering. Head of Strategic Accounts and Customer Experience, Vetropack Holding AG
15+ years experience in packaging and machinery industry. KAM program leader and KAM practitioner for over 10 years in Tetra Laval Group, Amcor Group and Vetropack Holding AG.
RAFI HABIBIAN
MSc, SAM CoE Global Director at Pfizer
28+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Started career in sales and held different regional responsibilities in marketing, account management, operations, and customer management. A true believer in the value of Key Account Management as an organizational capability, tasked with leading the Pfizer business to build expertise and capabilities in KAM, and to ensure that all market teams are prepared to engage with their key accounts as effectively as possible.
DR OLIVIER RIVIERE
Engineer in Material Science, Dr-Ing in Physical Metallurgy, MBA
20+ years' management experience with global companies (Dassault Systems, Intel, IXOS/OpenText, Text 100). Helps organisations of all sizes drive sustainable improvement on Sales & Marketing Effectiveness, KAM and Influence-focused Sales & Marketing. Speaker and author in 3 languages. Founder of KAM with Passion, Partner, KAM practice lead at Powering.
Dominique Cote
+ 30 years as an international business and commercial leader in global pharmaceutical and biotech organizations.
Published author recognized as a chief architect of go to market journeys, leading cultural shifts for customer-centric innovation.
Passionate about culture & diversity, having led teams in more than 36 countries, enabling deployment of new go to market business models.
A certified executive coach and visiting Professor at Cranfield Business school, 15 years on the board of SAMA and sits on the advisory board of AKAM.
Sits on the Board of NFL Biosciences and Global University system Canada.
Living in Belgium, she Split her time between Canada and Belgium to stay close to her global customers.
Dr Matt Wilkinson
MSci, PhD, MBA, MCIM
Matt is a recovering scientist, commercial strategist and educator. A former science and business journalist, he is the founder of Strivenn and a Visiting Fellow of Cranfield School of Management, where he specialises in Account Based Marketing, Key Account Management and B2B Sales and Marketing. He has developed an (un)healthy fascination with AI and how it can be applied to support practitioners in overcoming commercial challenges.
Stefan Wengler
Stefan Wengler is a Professor of Marketing & Sales and Head of the Research Center "Empirical Reseach & User Experience" at Hof University, Germany. He has specialized on Digital Transformation in Sales, Key Account Management and User Experience in smart devices/autonomous vehicles.
Moreover, Stefan Wengler consults companies in the area of strategy and management - with a strong focus on value creation and sales excellence.
Driving KAM research and new insights
Explore the team driving the future of KAM excellence. Discover more about our board members and their contributions by hovering over the images below.
Stefan Wengler
Professor of Marketing & Sales,
Hof University, Germany
Dr Jakob Rehme
Professor of Industrial Economics and Management, Linköping University
Christine Lai
Associate Professor of Marketing, Cameron School of Business at UNC Wilmington, United States
Silvio Cardinali
Associate Professor in Marketing and Sales Management, Vice President SGBED, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
Deva Rangarajan
Professor of Marketing, Academic Director
MSc International Business Negotiation,
IESEG, France
Nektarios Tzempelikos
Associate Professor in Marketing, School Research Lead, Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Lesley Murphy
Lecturer in Sales and Marketing, Technological University Dublin, Ireland
Nima Heirati
Associate Professor in Marketing, University of Surrey, UK
Stephan Henneberg
Chair Professor of Marketing and Strategy, School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London
Antonella La Rocca
Associate Professor of Marketing , Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Sridhar Guda
Professor (Marketing), Indian Institute of Management, India
Rakesh Singh
Professor-Marketing, Institute of Management Technology, India
Rodrigo Guesalaga
Professor of Marketing, Universidad Alberto Hurtado,
Sebastian Forkmann
Associate Professor of Marketing
The University of Alabama
Pascal Brassier
Head of Marketing & Sales Department, IAE Clermont Auvergne - School of Management, France.
Dr Diana Woodburn
BSc, MSc, MBA, PhD, FCIM: AKAM President
Embark on your path to KAM mastery with AKAM.
Ready to unlock Your KAM potential?
Join AKAM today and become part of a global community dedicated to Key Account Management excellence. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner, just starting your KAM journey or leading a programme, AKAM offers the resources, connections, and support you need to suceed.