ActionAid (som Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke nu er en del af, red.) has appointed Canadian national Joanna Kerr (42) as the next new international chief executive, based at its headquarters in South Africa.
Joanna Kerr will join ActionAid on 1 June 2010 from her current post as policy director with Oxfam Canada.
She replaces the current chief executive, Ramesh Singh (54) from Nepal, who has been in this position since 2004.
Ramesh leaves ActionAid after 26 years having held posts as Asia regional director, country director in Ethiopia, Nepal and Vietnam and head of agriculture and water programmes in Gambia. Ramesh will be most remembered for his strategic contribution to overseeing the successful internationalisation of the organisation.
– Jeg har været meget glad for samarbejdet med Ramesh og vil komme til at savne ham, siger generalsekretær i Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, Frans Mikael Jansen, og fortsætter:
– Men det bliver spændende med en ny international generalsekretær i ActionAid. Joanna kommer “udefra” til organisationen med “friske øjne”. Hendes umiddelbare opgaver vil blive en strukturreform af det internationale sekretariat og at lede processen med at videreudvikle den overordnede strategi.
– Jeg deltog selv i et af ansættelsespanelerne og oplevede Joanna som en nærværende, skarp og handlekraftig person – og glæder mig til samarbejdet med hende i den kommende perioder, anfører Frans Mikael Jansen.
Prior to Oxfam, Joanna Kerr was executive director of the Association of Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) where she transformed it into an international, feminist membership organisation, mobilising almost 7.000 people and 200 organisations. She has extensive experience of international governance and strategic links to international networks.
– Joanna’s values, vision and politics are totally consistent with ActionAid’s commitment to social, political and ecological justice to poor and excluded people in the communities where we work,” said Irene Ovonji Odida, ActionAid’s international chair, adding:
– The international board is confident that Joanna will build on what has already been achieved under Ramesh Singh’s leadership while bringing fresh energy and vision, as we move to the next strategic plan for the organisation.
Joanna Kerr holds a BA (Hons) in African Studies from the University of Toronto and an MA in Gender and Development from the University of Sussex.
ActionAid is an international anti-poverty agency working in over 40 countries taking sides with poor people to end poverty and injustice.
ActionAid’s HungerFREE campaign calls on governments to deliver on their commitment to halve world hunger by 2015. See also http://storyhub.actionaid.org/?c=20126&k=bc5d9660f9
