2019-2021 NCDA President and Board of Directors elected
18th May 2019
@ Gilberto Lontro / NCDA
18 May, Geneva (Switzerland) - Today, the NCD Alliance (NCDA) members meeting at the General Assembly in Geneva elected Australian advocate and civil society leader Todd Harper, CEO of Cancer Council Victoria, as the incoming President to lead the organisation during the next two years. The 2019-2021 Board of Directors was also elected, comprising of an outstanding group of individuals from a range of backgrounds, areas of expertise across the NCD field, and geographies.
The election coincides with the tenth anniversary of the organisation, born in 2009. NCDA transitioned to become an independent not-for-profit organisation in 2017 and since then, has established a membership structure providing members a unique opportunity to shape NCDA leadership and strategic direction for the coming years, and helping to reinforce NCDA’s credibility as the global voice for civil society in the NCD space. NCDA founding, full and associate members now unite the global NCD community spanning all regions of the world.
Outgoing President José Luis Castro said: “It was an honour to have assumed the role of first President of NCD Alliance during such a historic and transformative period. The global NCD movement – our network, NCDA supporters and advisers, federations, and team – is stronger than ever. We are more informed and assertive, more determined and relentless, more connected and unified. I am optimistic that together we will turn the tide on NCDs, ensuring that they take less of a toll on the lives of people everywhere. I would like to congratulate the incoming President and Board, I have no doubt that under their leadership NCDA will continue to go from strength to strength”.
Todd Harper, NCDA Alliance President said: “NCDA is uniquely positioned as a global leader to galvanise the efforts of governments and NGOs, to prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases, pain and suffering, and reduce the inequities they cause. Our success in this new era of sustainable development will be dependent on working across sectors, our ability to stimulate improved integration with health systems, and our capacity to fuel action at national and regional levels. This is where the heart of the challenge lies ahead, and we look forward to meeting those challenges”.
As defined by its constitution, NCDA convenes every two years a meeting of the General Assembly, the supreme governing body of NCDA, where members elect the NCDA President and Board of Directors. The new Board members for the term 2019-2021 are:
- Todd Harper, CEO, Cancer Council Victoria, Australia (President)
- Cary Adams, CEO, Union for International Cancer Control, Switzerland
- Monika Arora, Executive Director, HRIDAY (Healthy India Alliance), India
- Jose Luis Castro, President and CEO, Vital Strategies, France
- Deborah Chen, Executive Director, The Heart Foundation of Jamaica, Jamaica
- Jean-Luc Eisele, CEO, World Heart Federation, Switzerland
- Ibtihal Fadhil, Founder and Chair, Eastern Mediterranean NCD Alliance, Bahrain
- Trevor Hassell, President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition, Barbados
- Paula Johns, Director, ACT Promoção da Saúde, Brazil
- I.D. Rusen, Director of Research and Development, The Union, France
- Anne Lise Ryel, Secretary General, Norwegian Cancer Society, Norway
- Gerald Yonga, President, East Africa NCD Alliance, Kenya
The profiles of the new President and Board Members can be found here, and further information will be available on our website in the coming weeks. NCDA is thankful to all the member organisations that have participated in the General Assembly and have supported NCDA in this transition by joining NCDA as a member.