GAMA International Canada, a professional association for leaders in distribution management within the financial services industry, has created a new tier of individual membership.

In addition to regular or “full” memberships currently offered, the new membership category of “associate member” will cater to second line managers and functional specialists.

New associate members will pay a reduced rate of $199 annually for their membership for the first two years, a significant savings over the Full annual membership rate of $360.

“This is something that the industry has been asking about for a while,” noted Michael Gau, 2004-05 President, GAMA International Canada, in a news release.

“Ongoing management development is essential at all levels. By inviting this additional level of membership to join at a very attractive rate, we’re confident that we will be able to attract newer managers who may never have been exposed to GAMA’s valuable professional development and networking opportunities.”

The association provides professional development opportunities in the core areas of coaching and leadership, recruitment and selection, training and education, and business development. GAMA also offers the Chartered Management Professional (CMP) designation, the only program of its kind in Canada.

As an added incentive, those who join GAMA from August to the end of December 2004 will see their membership stretched through until the end of 2005, a benefit of up to five free months of membership.