It is with a great sense of accomplishment and an equal measure of sadness that I have decided to step down as Executive Director of the International AIDS Society (IAS) after the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in July. My work here has been challenging, exciting, and with your partnership, deeply rewarding. It is remarkable to think what we have accomplished together since 2014:
- Revitalization of the IAS as a voice of our members, a partner and a trusted leader in the HIV response;
- A dramatic increase in our non-conference HIV programmes including the on-going integration of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and an expansion into HIV coinfections;
- A new five-year IAS strategy embedding advocacy focused on how and where we add value in the HIV response combined with an organizational re-structure to achieve that strategy;
- A significant financial turnaround for the organization that has allowed us to more than double the number of scholarships, research fellowships, and grants we provide to advocates, clinicians and other HIV service providers from resource-limited settings;
I can only consider making this transition because of the strong position of the Secretariat. We have a seasoned, high-performing team in place who are prepared to carry these accomplishments forward under a new Executive Director.
Next month, we will share our plans to further the mission and vision of the IAS in our 2018 Annual Letter. In the meantime, I will do my utmost to ensure the IAS continues to grow and succeed until the next Executive Director is in place.
This means we are actively recruiting for the next person to lead the IAS. This is a tremendous opportunity so please help us find the right person to fit this role. You can find the job advertisement here. Applications close on 26 February.
I look forward to seeing you all in Amsterdam for AIDS 2018!
Owen Ryan,
IAS Executive Director