IISD Announces Appointment of Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Martha Casey as Interim Co-Presidents and Co-CEOs
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is pleased to announce that, as of April 1, 2023, Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder and Martha Casey will begin serving as Interim Co-Presidents and Co-CEOs. They will take up these posts following the departure of Richard Florizone, who served as IISD President and CEO from January 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023.
Nathalie currently serves as IISD Vice-President, Global Strategies, where she guides the Institute’s programmatic efforts and engagement on international policy processes. She is also IISD’s Managing Director, Europe, serving as the Institute’s senior leader in the region. In addition to these responsibilities, Nathalie leads IISD’s Economic Law and Policy program. She is an experienced international lawyer who joined IISD in 2009 after prior roles at the Center for International Environmental Law, Georgetown University Law Center’s International Institute of International Economic Law, the United Nations Development Programme, Australian law firm Phillips Fox, and the Swiss Department of Justice in the Section for International Law.
Martha currently serves as IISD Vice-President, Operations and Business Transformation, where she oversees all aspects of the Institute’s administration. Based in Halifax, Canada, Martha has been with IISD since 2022, having previously served as the CEO at Volta, one of Canada’s largest innovation hubs. Her earlier positions include chief of staff and executive director at Dalhousie University in Canada, along with prior roles for the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, the New York City Department of Finance, and New York City's Office of the Mayor. She is a lawyer with additional training in public administration and economics.
"Nathalie and Martha bring an impressive blend of policy and operational expertise that will help ensure that IISD can continue to go from strength to strength. I am excited to see what IISD achieves under their leadership," said Michelle Edkins, Chair of IISD's Board of Directors.
Nathalie and Martha are part of IISD’s new Executive Team, which is also comprised of Associate Vice-Presidents Anne Hammill and Matthew McCandless. Anne and Matthew lead IISD's Resilience and Water work, respectively, and Matthew also serves as Managing Director, Manitoba.
IISD's Board of Directors is currently recruiting for a new President and CEO and has hired an executive search firm, Boyden, to undertake this process. The board aims to appoint a new President and CEO before the end of 2023.
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