I propose a presentation about the initiatives at ABB to create awareness of Configuration Management, to find and connect CM people who often work isolated and unhappy and to promote best practices and collaboration.
The role of the Configuration Manager is still little known and it is even completely missing in some projects or there is just someone who "builds" or has the fashionable role of "DevOps". I have never seen the CM role in an organization chart and the CM is usually not invited to meetings where important decisions are taken. Even where this role exists, there are very few Configuration Managers and it's really hard to find and hire them.
Configuration Management lays the foundations for all the roles in a project to do their work, so we have defined common guidelines that new projects are following. We are also working to collect and share a common toolbox of solutions and examples to reduce times and costs of our activities and also to have a common culture that facilitates collaboration and support among projects, instead of getting stuck when the only person who knows "how to do it" is on vacation.