IPOPI Appoints Director Of Global Development

In early February we were delighted to be able to let you know that we had appointed Johan Prevot to the new position as Director of Global Development at IPOPI. We were pleased by the huge number of messages of goodwill received both by Johan and by IPOPI.

Johan is, of course, no stranger to the work of IPOPI as he has worked with PPTA and through PPTA he has worked closely with IPOPI and the other plasma product user groups. In a message to IPOPI members he says:

I am delighted to join IPOPI later this year, during the second half of May. As David pointed out through my work with the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association, I have had the great privilege and pleasure to collaborate during the past 9 years on various projects with our stakeholder patient organisations including IPOPI.

I look forward to this new exciting phase in my career working as Director of Global Development for IPOPI on behalf of PID patients worldwide and in collaboration with all involved stakeholders. IPOPI has come a long way to become the global organisation it is today and I am committed to contribute to their continued growth and success in the years to come.

The position is an exciting new one that emerged from our research prior to the Strategic Plan for 2010-2015. There was an almost unanimous cry for the creation of a new post of this nature – and now, two months into 2010 we have met the demand!

The post will be concerned with NMOs – in the Job Description it says: The Director of Development will work to develop the role of NMOs using the past and recent achievements of IPOPI alongside other lobbying tools. More particularly the person appointed will help to develop new NMOs in countries where there is little diagnosis and a general lack of political will to provide appropriate therapies. In this way the health of people with the primary immunodeficiencies will be greatly improved around the world through the direct influence of IPOPI, while, in the process, IPOPI will become a stronger global organisation with growing numbers of NMOs and political influence.

Johan will take a short time to settle into the post and the Board will then work with him to establish his strategic priorities – and you will all have an opportunity to meet him in his new role in Istanbul where he will be a vital part of the IPOPI programme. It is important for our NMOs to note that the priorities for the Director of Global Development will be decided by the Board and not by lobbying Johan personally – at least in the short to medium term!!

So we all welcome Johan to IPOPI and to a new major career challenge!