IOI | Dame Beverley Wakem resigns as IOI President

At the 2014 meeting of the IOI Board of Directors, Dame Beverley A. Wakem resigned from her office as IOI President. Dame Beverley, whose term as Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand will end next year, took the occasion of the Vienna Board Meeting to bid farewell to her fellow members on the Board and hand the Presidency over to Adv. John R. Walters, Ombudsman of Namibia.

Beverley served as Regional Vice President of the Australasia and Pacific Region of the IOI for one year before she was elected IOI President in 2010 and confirmed in this office by a unanimous and unrestricted vote of confidence again in 2011 and 2012. She served as President of the IOI for a total of 4 years.

The contributions she made during her Presidency were exceptional and significant. She proved her strong commitment to the IOI when she acted as an active spokesperson of the IOI’s work and visions on numerous occasions, thus enabling the Institute to forge closer partnerships with colleagues and Ombudsman associations around the world.

Beverley rendered outstanding services to the organization when she took over the project of an extensive IOI By-laws reform. Under her able and committed leadership, a transparent and inclusive working process of two years culminated in an overwhelming approval of the revised by-laws in 2012, which paved the way for further strengthening the IOI as a leading organisation within the international ombudsman community.

In her function as Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand and in celebration of her Office’s 50^th Anniversary, Beverley also acted as host of an exemplary and very successful 10^th IOI World Conference in Wellington in 2012.

Beverley’s extensive experience as an Ombudsman and as an active member of the international ombudsman community significantly contributed to the considerable evolvement of the IOI in these past few years. She brought great value to the Board and her advice and guidance is highly sought after by her colleagues.

The IOI Board of Directors awarded IOI Honorary Life Membership to Dame Beverley at its Vienna meeting 2014. The IOI Board expresses its deep gratitude and hopes that Beverley will remain in close contact with the IOI beyond her Ombudsman career.