ALZHEIMER EUROPE
Alzheimer Europe elects new Board On 5 October 2020, Alzheimer Europe held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) online. Member associations elected the Board of Directors which will now serve until October 2022. Alzheimer Europe’s Board of Directors is comprised of the office bearers – Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer – and up to seven further members directly elected by a General Meeting. The Chairperson of the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD) is an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors with full voting rights. All directors must be members of full member organisations of Alzheimer Europe. Iva Holmerová (Czech Republic) – Chairperson Iva is a founding member and former Chairperson of the Czech Alzheimer Society. She holds a PhD in Social Gerontology and is a practicing physician in General and Geriatric Medicine. Iva is also the Director of the Czech Centre of Gerontology, President of the Czech Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and committee member of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. She is an Associate Professor of Humanities at Charles University (Prague) and was named Visiting Professor at the University of the West of Scotland in 2014. Iva joined the Board of Alzheimer Europe in 2008, serving as Vice-Chairperson from 2010–2016 and has been Chairperson since 2016. Charles Scerri (Malta) – Vice-Chairperson Charles holds a PhD from the University of Dundee, Scotland. He lectures in dementia studies at the University of Malta and is the National Focal Point on Dementia in Malta. He is also the
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Chairperson of the Malta Dementia Society and a member of the European Union Joint Progamme for Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND) Scientific Advisory Board and Early Detection and Timely Intervention in Dementia Group (INTERDEM). Charles has been Vice-Chair of Alzheimer Europe since October 2016. Prior to this, he was Alzheimer Europe’s Honorary Secretary.
Nederland in 1997. He has held several different positions, including interim CEO (2017–2018). Currently, he is scientific director and also head of National Services. Marco is also a Board member of the national Delta Plan Dementia in the Netherlands and editor of Denkbeeld – a Dutch journal on dementia care. He joined the Alzheimer Europe Board in October 2018 and took the position of Honorary Treasurer in October 2020. Chris Roberts (UK – England, Northern Ireland and Wales) – Chair of the EWGPWD
Chris was the Vice-Chairperson of the EWGPWD from 2016–2020 and has been confirmed as the new Chairperson, thus also joining the Board of Jim Pearson (UK – Scotland) – Honorary Alzheimer Europe. He is from Wales and was Secretary diagnosed with mixed dementia (Alzheimer’s and vascular) in 2012. He is passionate about Jim is Alzheimer Scotadvocating for people living with dementia, land’s Director of Policy their rights, inclusion, and for better services & Research, responsible for everyone living with dementia. He has an for Alzheimer Scotland’s Honorary Fellowship at Bangor University and public policy engageis a member of the Dementia Oversight of ment. He is also Implementation and Impact Group, helping responsible for research engagement. He has monitor progress made on Wales’ national a background in welfare rights and a particu- dementia plan. lar interest in promoting as well as protecting the rights of people living with dementia. Stefanie Becker (Switzerland) He played a significant role in developing Scotland’s Charter of Rights for people with Stefanie is the Director dementia and their carers, which puts human of Alzheimer Switzerland and other legal rights at the heart of each and is a trained psycholcommitment of Scotland’s first and second ogist and gerontologist, dementia strategies. He joined the Board in with a PhD in Psychology 2014 and took the position of Honorary Sec- from Karl-Ruprechts Uniretary in October 2018. versity of Heidelberg. She has worked for the German Centre for Research on Ageing, the Marco Blom (Netherlands) – Honorary research group of Psychogeriatrics at the CenTreasurer tre of Mental Health in Mannheim, and at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern as Marco graduated from Director of the Institute of Aging. She also Radboud University held the presidency of the Swiss Society of Nijmegen in 1987 with an Gerontology and Geriatrics from 2012–2016. MSc in Psychogerontology. She is a member of the strategic board of the After working in a regional Swiss National Dementia Platform and of sevmental health institute eral workings groups of the Federal Office of for elderly people and at the National Insti- Public Health. Stefanie joined the Alzheimer tute of Care and Welfare, he joined Alzheimer Europe Board in 2016.
