BackThe I.O.I. Board held officer elections for the roles of the I.O.I. President, Vice-President and Treasurer during its meeting in Bermuda in October 2010: New Zealand Chief Ombudsman Beverley WAKEM was elected President. The Northern Ireland Ombudsman Tom FRAWLEY will serve as Vice-President and Hong Kong Ombudsman Alan LAI was elected I.O.I. Treasurer.
I.O.I. President Beverley WAKEM was appointed New Zealand Ombudsman in March 2005 and Chief Ombudsman in April 2008. She has been a member of the I.O.I. Board of Directors since 2008. Ms Wakem's background is in broadcasting, public relations and consulting, much of the latter to the state sector. Ms Wakem's broadcasting career in news, current affairs and general programming culminated in her appointment as Chief Executive of Radio New Zealand. She was also for 5 years President of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union. 1997 Ms Wakem was appointed by the Government to the Higher Salaries Commission and was reappointed twice to that body.
I.O.I. Vice-President Tom FRAWLEY was appointed Ombudsman for Northern Ireland in September 2000. He has already served as Vice-President of the I.O.I. in 2006/2007 and has been a member of the I.O.I. Board of Directors since 2004. Following graduation at the Trinity College in Dublin in 1971, Tom Frawley pursued a successful career in the health service in Northern Ireland before his appointment as Ombudsman. In 2003 he was invited by the power sharing government to chair the Panel of Experts that was appointed to support the Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland. He is now the longest serving Ombudsman since the Office was created in 1969.
I.O.I. Treasurer Alan LAI was appointed as Hong Kong Ombudsman in April 2009 for a period of five years and has been a member of the I.O.I. Board of Directors since June 2009. Mr Lai has over 30 years of experience in public administration. He was heavily involved in international trade negotiation work in 1980's and 1990's, representing Hong Kong in bilateral trade negotiations and multilateral forums like the World Trade Organization and the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference. He served as Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1999-2002 and the Permanent Secretary for the Treasury from 2002 to 2007.
The I.O.I. Board thanked the outgoing Acting President Mats MELIN (Sweden) and Treasurer Gord BUTTON (Canada/Alberta) for their valuable services to the Institute. Their leadership in the first year after the transition of the I.O.I. General Secretariat to Vienna has significantly contributed to a successful membership year.
