ioi | | New Secretary General Gaby Schwarz takes office

On 1 August 2022, Ms. Gaby Schwarz took office as the new Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). Ms. Schwarz was sworn in as a member of the Austrian Ombudsman Board on 11 July 2022 and takes over the office of IOI Secretary General from her predecessor Werner Amon, who resigned as Austrian Ombudsman at the end of June 2022.

On 1 August 2022, the members of the Austrian Ombudsman Board unanimously agreed to nominate Ms. Gaby Schwarz as the new Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), pursuant to Article 20.1 of the IOI By-laws.

Gaby Schwarz was born in Vienna on 3 September 1962. She began her studies in journalism and started working as a freelance journalist for the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. In the early years of her career in journalism, Ms. Schwarz presented TV and radio programmes. In 2001, the journalist and producer lead the marketing and public relations department, and the department for radio programming in 2008.

In November 2017, Gaby Schwarz became a Member of the Austrian Parliament. During this time, she acted as the deputy chairperson of the parliamentary club of the Austrian People’s Party and the party’s spokesperson on health and on media. On 11 July 2022, Gaby Schwarz was sworn in as Ombudsperson and member of the Austrian Ombudsman Board.

In her role as Secretary General of the IOI, Ms. Schwarz is committed to fostering democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as strengthening Ombudsman institutions around the world. “I am very much looking forward to taking on this important position and helping shape the future of this important organization,” said Gaby Schwarz upon her appointment.