The Next Era of the Certified OBM Profession
The Next Era of the Certified OBM Profession
In 2009, the International Association of Online Business Managers formalised a role that growing online businesses badly needed.
Business owners were building teams and creating new revenue streams, yet many still sat in the middle of every moving part.
The Certified Online Business Manager gave that operational need a name and a professional standard.
Seventeen years later, the need has not disappeared.
The business environment around it has changed dramatically.
A new chapter for IAOBM
On 1 May 2026, Amanda Hyde-Pierce became CEO of the International Association of Online Business Managers, taking over leadership from founder Tina Forsyth.
The transition marked a significant moment for an organisation that has certified more than 1,100 OBMs since its creation.
Public coverage of the change, including CEO Times, focused on a central theme: the profession is entering a period where strong human-led operations may matter more, not less, as AI changes the way businesses work.
That is becoming visible across IAOBM’s direction.
AI is now part of operational leadership
The Association has moved quickly to bring AI into the professional development of Certified OBMs.
New trainees are learning to work in AI-empowered businesses as part of their core development.
Experienced members have had the opportunity to deepen their capability through the Certified AI Strategist programme.
The focus is not on turning the profession into a technical speciality.
It is on making sure Certified OBMs can lead operations intelligently when AI sits inside the systems their clients use.
That means knowing when technology is useful, when a human needs to remain involved and where accountability sits when machine-generated work becomes part of a business process.
The client side is growing too
IAOBM is placing greater attention on the businesses that hire Certified OBMs.
The Association’s directory gives business owners a route to find and verify qualified professionals.
Ready Match and Direct Match provide support for founders who need help defining the role or identifying suitable candidates.
The hiring guide gives business owners a place to begin before they start interviewing.
This matters to the future of the profession.
A strong professional body needs to support qualified members and help the market understand when and why to hire them.
Continuity matters
Tina Forsyth’s work created the profession and the standard behind it.
The next era does not require abandoning that foundation.
It requires applying it to a different business environment.
Hyde-Pierce’s own move from Certified OBM student in 2020 to IAOBM CEO in 2026 has attracted media attention for obvious reasons.
The more significant story for the profession is what comes next.
The Association is moving into a stage where certification, continuing development, verification and client access are becoming more connected.
That gives the Certified OBM profession a strong base for the years ahead.
Technology will change again.
Business models will change again.
The need for someone who can turn vision into organised, accountable execution is unlikely to disappear.
That is the work the Certified OBM standard was built around.
It is the work IAOBM intends to keep protecting.
Explore the future of Certified OBM® support here
AI supported elements of the research and editorial process for this article. The final article was reviewed, refined and approved by the international Association of Online Business Managers.
