The meeting opened with a tribute to Professor Marcos Cavalcanti, a pioneer of Knowledge Management in Brazil, remembered for his contributions to the field and his ability to bring people together.

Three new representatives were welcomed:

• Lukas Wunsch, GFWM Germany – based in Munich, he said his goal on the board is to strengthen collaboration between GFWM and other KM associations around the world.

• Kagiso Mabe, KM South Africa – Deputy Head of the Information & Knowledge Management Department at the University of Johannesburg and chair of the South African Committee on Data, he looks forward to exploring how the two bodies can collaborate to build something great for the KM community.

• Fenice Stuskov – based in Paris and part of the COP1 community, she leads European knowledge management as well as primary and secondary research teams at L.E.K. Consulting, with nearly 20 years of KM experience, and hopes to help grow the French KM community’s engagement with KMGN.

KMGN welcomes and looks forward to the active participation of new network and country members in KMGN initiatives and projects along with rest of the KM community in their countries!

Its core purpose is to safeguard the long-term organisational sustainability. The annual course remains KMGN's only source of income, and the funds are distributed across four budget baskets: operating infrastructure (Zoom, Miro, Google Drive, etc.), reserve fund, KMGN development, and project support.

Project support is presented as a natural continuation of KMGN's mission: in addition to sharing the infrastructure — which KMGN already does — the organisation now also has the capacity to help fund external projects aligned with its goals. At the same time, KMGN is not an investor and manages its finances carefully: the goal is not to spend the surplus, but to use it prudently to help KM discipline development.

The results of the brainstorming session were structured around three questions: which projects would help a new community grow, which would help a mature community, and which projects could increase the value of KM leadership in the AI era. The lists below consolidate the live discussion with the full set of ideas posted to the Miro board, grouped into the top themes for each question.

The meeting began on an exciting note with formal welcome to five new networks/countries joining KMGN:

• KM Network Argentina, represented by Denise Senmartin, Vanesa Vaca

• MUBS Knowledge for Development Centre, Uganda, represented by Dr. Andreas Brandner, Dr. Annet K Nabatanzi-Muyimba

• Zimbabwe Institute of KM Professionals, represented by Dr. Edmore Tarambiwa, and Dr. Nancy Kwangwa)

• Anahit Gasparyan as an individual member representative from Armenia, and 

• Katrin Kalmurand as an individual member representative from Peru.

KMGN welcomes and looks forward to the active participation of new network and country members in KMGN initiatives and projects along with rest of the KM community in their countries!

Júlia Frozza introduced the KMGN Mentorship Framework for nascent and developing KM communities, a KMGN initiative she co-leads with Manfred Bornemann. Júlia shared a live document to be complemented by KMGN network representatives with suggestions and improvements on the guidelines for mentoring local leaders in establishing sustainable KM communities based on regional experiences and KMGN collective network expertise. The framework aims to understand local contexts and needs from nascent communities representatives/leaders and support them by connecting them with KMGN network representatives for mentorship.

How can network representatives get involved:

• Contribute with suggestions and insights to the shared document (link)

• Contribute with specific expertise (e.g. event design and organization, core-team formation, community management, etc) 

• Mentor a new community leader in creating or developing a new KM community or network

Our process for promoting KMGN Initiatives and Community Events is designed to maximise visibility, participation, and long-term impact. Representatives received an email with an overview of the process and the instructions for event details submissions (both KMGN events they lead and their networks’ events) - the entry point for the process.

Representatives are expected to share posts on social media and distribute event details to their regional network members to enhance participation. While the leadership team will work to centralize event details in the global calendar and amplify them via social media and the KMGN knowledge base, Moria Levy emphasized that network representatives play a critical role by directly distributing these details to their respective member lists. This collaborative approach ensures that we activate the power of our community, and the events and their assets are effectively disseminated throughout the entire "network of networks", driving participation and delivering greater value to the global KM community.

The Vice-Presidents Council (VP Council) has been established as a mechanism for the long-term development of KMGN. Its purpose is to ensure sustainability, continuity and collaboration across the network.

How the VP Council operates

• The planning horizon is five to seven years. This is not short-term coordination but a long-term strategic structure.

• The guiding principle is 'cruising speed': a steady, realistic pace of work that avoids overloading the network with new initiatives.

• The Council is already operational: decision-making procedures have been agreed and an initial structure is in place.

Priorities for 2026

• Strengthen existing anchor projects: KM Week, the annual course, and KM Trends. No new projects will be added in 2026.

• Support partnerships: KMGN does not need to 'own' a project — it is enough to provide support, visibility, a platform and connections. Current examples include the mentoring programme and the KM Landscape project.

• New initiatives, including work around the ISO 30401 standard, are being considered as potential projects for 2027.

The question of the future of Knowledge Management was raised at the KMGN mini-conference in Bangkok and became one of the central themes of the meeting. The shared conclusion is that this is the most important strategic question for the next three, five and seven years.

Core conclusions

• The core of KM remains stable: organisations still need to manage, share, apply and protect knowledge — regardless of how tools and technologies evolve.

• KM must operate at a strategic level within organisations, not be confined to operational support, documentation or isolated best practices.

• KM needs to shift its focus: from productivity, efficiency and risk management towards a stronger role in innovation, next practices and co-existence with AI.

• The repositioning formula: 'KM + AI = effectiveness'. If all organisations have access to the same AI tools, competitive advantage will come from how people interpret AI outputs, apply knowledge, collaborate and make better decisions.

The role of AI

• AI is not a threat to KM — it is a reason to strengthen it. Technological change does not reduce the importance of Knowledge Management; it creates the need to harness that energy for the development of the discipline.

• KM plays a key role in the semantic space, helping organisations define and implement the semantic layers that enable new technologies.

• At the same time, KM protects information governance, knowledge preservation and decision provenance — particularly important when organisations reuse past artefacts without understanding their context.

The human dimension of KM

• Critical thinking, communication, teamwork and psychological safety are becoming increasingly important.

• KM is not only a systems or process discipline — it is a people-centred discipline grounded in sharing, storytelling, conversation and trust.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

5. 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.

6. Mission – Advancing KM innovation and implementation, fostering global collaboration, and ensuring sustainable impact.

7. 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.

8. 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.

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.

1. 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

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

1. Regularly collect and publish info about your events with descriptions

2. Establish a process for networks to publish research summaries, articles, and other materials in a knowledge base.

3. Update the network’s pages and follow your requests – please share your vision about your pages.

4. 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.