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Nominations & Governance Committee

Committee Members

Under IPPF’s new regulations, the Nominations and Governance Committee (NGC) has the mandate to recruit and evaluate the performance of members of the Board of Trustees and the Board committees. Reporting to the General Assembly, the NGC is a seven-person committee that has majority MA members, at least half of whom must be women and at least 20% of whom must be youth under 25.

The profiles of the current NGC members are shared below:

Neish McLean (Chair)

An external candidate, Neish McLean has been Co-Founder and Executive Director of TransWave Jamaica since 2015. Concurrently he is also Caribbean Program Officer for OutRight Action International since 2018. Neish was formerly Vice-Chair of the United Caribbean Trans Network. Amongst the skills required for the Nominations and Governance Committee, he can point to leadership in SRHR; program delivery experience; and experience of advocacy and working with government. Neish is from the Caribbean and currently based in Jamaica.

Don Gunawardena

An MA volunteer, Don Gunawardena is Chair of the National Council at Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka. He was previously Honorary Officer (Treasurer) of IPPF South Asia (SARO) until March 2020. Don qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1972 and held executive responsibilities at Carson Cumberbatch Group (CCPlc) between 1990 and 2011 including as a Member on its Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees. Amongst the skills required for the Nominations and Governance Committee, Don can point to knowledge of governance at the international or national level; financial control and oversight; and risk management. Don is from South Asia, based in Sri Lanka

Dr Isabel Serrano

An MA volunteer, Dr Isabel Serrano was President of the Spanish Family Planning Federation, FPFE, for 12 years. She has been a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology since 1979. Between 1994 and 2000 Dr Serrano was Head of Division responsible for Family Planning programmes and promotion of maternal-child and adolescent health for Madrid City Council. amongst the skills required for the Nominations and Governance Committee, she can point to peer-to-peer service delivery; knowledge of governance at the international or national level; and leadership in SRHR. Dr Serrano is from Europe, currently based in Spain and has spent time living abroad in Liberia.

Jona Turalde

An external candidate, Jona Turalde is a Youth Champion and Guiding Group member for SheDecides since 2017. She is currently completing her BA in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines, where she chaired their Anthropology Society in 2018. Jona was a Girl Advisor of the “Girls to the front: a snapshot of girl organising” research of FRIDA Young Feminist Fund and MamaCash. She was a Junior Fellow of Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR): Building Towards an Informed Investment Strategy Project Advisory Group for Youth Investment, Engagement, Leadership and Development (YIELD) project. Amongst the skills required for the Nominations and Governance Committee, she can point to knowledge of youth networking/youth action; fundraising and resource mobilization; and experience of advocacy and working with government. Jona is from South East Asia, currently located in the Philippines. Jona is under 25 years old at this time.

Joyce Renee Ago Djani

An MA volunteer, Joyce Renee Ago Djanie has over ten years of postgraduate experience in Project Management. Before her post-graduate experience, she volunteered predominantly with the Planned Parenthood Association Ghana (PPAG) for eight years and led various youth initiatives in the country and beyond. She has participated in several national campaigns and working groups. She had previously worked with PPAG as a Programme Coordinator. She is currently working with African Women’s Development Fund as a Programme Officer. She holds a Master of Arts in International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Psychology. She participated in several trainings in Leadership, Project Management, Project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Gender and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). She is currently based in Accra, Ghana.

Olivier Makambira

An MA volunteer, Olivier Makambira is a young professional who has more than four years of experience working on humanitarian and development projects in East Africa. He holds an MBA from the Centre of Excellence for Mining, Environmental Engineering & Resource Management (CEMEREM), Taita Taveta University. Since 2018, Olivier has served as the AfriKa Youth Movement's hub Coordinator in Burundi. In Burundi and throughout Africa, Olivier has championed human rights and SRHR for more than five years. He currently serves as the communities of practice facilitator at Share-Net International in Burundi. He began in the Youth Action Movement, where he played a key role in sexual rights and reproductive health for young people and adolescents. He was a former board member of the Association Burundaise di Bien Etre Familiale (ABUBEF-IPPF MA). He is currently based in Burundi, East Africa.

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