Chances are, regardless of the profession, be it accountancy or yoga teaching, there's a professional association whose role it is to take on the bigger issues.

For the head of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, Cris Massis, the DNA of any association is challenging.

"In essence, every technically member is your boss. We need to be very consultative.

We're a broad church so you're not always going to do things that satisfy all your stakeholders, but you need to spend a lot of time pounding the pavement having conversations with committees, stakeholders and others," he says.

For Massis, he has enlarged the church' significantly, with membership up nearly 40 per cent in his four-year tenure. Now, his role is to find the common thread that keeps over 16,000 physiotherapists engaged.

"It's about landing on ... something that anchors the whole profession. Whether that's a member benefit or something that helps them be a better professional, or lobbying ... on their behalf. Our members tell us we need to do more in promoting the benefits of physiotherapy to the community, so that's our mandate," he says.

Massis's background is not in health, but originally, sport. His first jobs were in marketing and promotion at Calder Park raceway then St Kilda football club, before moving up the ranks at the CPA accounting body.

"This was my first formal CEO role. The board gave me an opportunity. That was a critical decision — do they go with the skill set they were looking for, or do they go with a physio who may not have the full management skill set? Thankfully, they gave me the opportunity." Part of his success to date is not taking the membership (or it's $14 million turnover) for granted.

"My view is that the command control days are dying — or dead. It's important to empower others, [including those] on the front line, to come up with innovations. They are the ones who know the pain points." He also knows that, despite his success to date, for any association, it's important not to take the membership for granted.

"No one is a member for life anymore, that notion is gone."

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Cris Massis

Current position: CEO, Australian Physiotherapy Association.

Responsibilities: Management of board of directors and 65 staff in five offices across Australia.

Education: · Bachelor applied science,  graduate diploma in sports business, master of business administration.

Additional training/courses: Company directors course (AICD).

Professional associations: Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Strength: I'm approachable and collaborative by nature. You need to be in this sort of setting.

Weakness: I'm a bit of a softie. I'm very flexible — that's not all bad news.

Management style and tips: My aim is [that] if I got hit by a bus the whole business can run as normal.

Work motto: My whole career is about creating an environment where people leave a better person than when they arrived — [whether that's by] learning some skills or making some friends.