The elections held during our General Assembly in Lisbon led to some changes and new faces among the EBU officers, as well some familiar faces providing continuity. You will already have heard from Tytti Matsinen, our new President, in her article in this newsletter. Two of the other elected officers appear on the Board for the first time and here you learn more about them with introductions from our 2nd Vice-President Kevin Kelly, and our Treasurer, Roland Studer.
Kevin Kelly - 2nd Vice President
I lost my sight in 2001, at the age of fourteen. My day job is Head of Policy, Partnerships & External Affairs with Vision Ireland where I also act as Deputy Chief Services Officer.
Prior to joining Vision Ireland, I was a Senior Civil Servant in the Department of Health working in the policy area of Mental Health. I also previously held the position of Advocacy and Communications Manager with The Asthma Society of Ireland and acted as Interim CEO for a period.
I have also worked as a parliamentary assistant in Leinster House. Early in my career I worked on local and national media, with Newstalk 106-108.
I have served on many boards including the National Transport Authority of Ireland, The Disability Federation of Ireland and Vision Sports Ireland. I can proudly state I have represented Ireland at blind football.
It was a huge honour for me to be elected to the position of 2nd Vice President of the European Blind Union. I am a huge advocate for the work of the EBU and believe strongly in the broader European project. Coming from Ireland I have seen the huge strides and advancements that have been made from an Equality perspective due to Ireland’s membership of the European Union.
In the next four years I look forward to working closely with my fellow officers, board members and member organisations to progress the work of the EBU. I feel our new strategic plan provides us with a strong bedrock identifying the challenges and more importantly a clear road map on how to address them in the coming years. I firmly believe collaboration and working collectively will reap huge rewards for people who are blind and vision impaired across Europe and beyond.
Roland Studer – Treasurer
Personal review of the EBU GA in Lisbon
It is a pleasure and an honour for me to have been elected to the Board as Treasurer at the EBU GA. I would like to thank the delegates for the trust they have placed in me.
As Treasurer, I will work with my colleagues on the Board to ensure that the EBU's finances are healthy.
The question arises as to how we can keep the EBU lean in the future, but still effectively perform the tasks that arise.
How can we generate additional funds in the future without competing with the national organizations? The contributions from the member organizations and the EU may no longer be sufficient in the future.
Furthermore, the GA showed that the EBU must also include non-EU countries more in its considerations. We must be aware that agreements with the EU are not valid for all countries in Europe, but that the EBU is responsible for the whole of Europe.
We will try to improve this task conscientiously and in good cooperation between EU countries and non-EU countries so that all affected people in Europe can benefit from the EBU's activities.