The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD)’s General Assembly elected a new Executive Committee (Ex-Com) and Board on 19 October 2024. The elections took place during a General Assembly meeting hosted in Athens, Greece.  

EASPD’s General Assembly voted for 18 governance positions including 5 Executive Committee members and 12 Board members. The Board takes decisions that guides the work of the secretariat in implementing EASPD's mission. The Executive Committee plays a crucial role in supporting the Secretary General and the Board in implementing EASPD's strategy.

EASPD’s newly elected Executive Committee is as follows:

President: Kirsi Konola, Tukena (Finland)
Treasurer: Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf, AIAS Bologna Onlus (Italy) 
Vice President: Javier Güemes Pedraza, Fundacion ONCE (Spain)
Vice President: Ingrid Pammer, BBRZ (Austria)
Vice President: Theresa Shearer, Enable (United Kingdom)

EASPD's newly elected Board is as follows:

Ann de Winter, Mediander vzw (Belgium); Hannah Diry, Dachverband berufliche Inklusion (Austria); Sylvain Renouvel, Nexem (France); Stef de Cock, Groep Maatwerk (Belgium); Vlado Krstovski, PORAKA (North Macedonia); Elena Weber, ENVITER (France); Eoin Nash, Cope Foundation (Ireland); May Agius, Aġenzija Sapport (Malta); Josep Maria Solé, Fundació Support-Girona (Spain); Elena Kopcová, TENENET (Slovakia); Annemie Jennes, Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen (Belgium); Agapi Papadaki, The NET and Amimoni (Greece). 

We congratulate the newly elected and re-elected Board members. Click here to read a full list of our new Board. 
 
Upon being elected the EASPD President, Kirsi Konola said: “We will work hand-in-hand with our members to identify and implement pathways that align service transformation with the principles of the Convention. By doing so, we ensure that people with disabilities are at the heart of every decision, service, and policy.” She strongly believes in shaping a forward-thinking strategy that honours the core values of EASPD and can drive change for the coming years.

Following the elections results, Thomas Bignal, EASPD Secretary General said: "With the election of Kirsi Konola, as President, and the entire Board, EASPD is very well equipped to deal with the transformations taking place across the continent; be it the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, staff and funding shortages in support services, and the impact of digitalisation and climate change. Let’s go! ”
 
Lastly, we want to thank all the Board Members who have served their last mandate at EASPD. The progress of EASPD, over the years, reflects their critical thinking and decision making. It shows their dedication to promoting the delivery of high-quality support service to peoples with disabilities in Europe and beyond.

Supporting Documents 

• Full list of the New EASPD Board 2024

For more information please contact:

Thomas Bignal
Secretary General
thomas.bignal@easpd.eu
+32 2 238 39 28

Note to editors: 

The European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities is a non-profit European umbrella organisation, established in 1996, and currently representing over 20,000 social and health services for persons with disabilities. EASPD advocates effective and high-quality disability-related services in the field of education, employment and individualised support, in line with the UN CRPD principles, which could bring benefits not only to persons with disabilities, but to society as a whole.