Appointment: Jeroen Douglas New International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Director General

… To replace Bruno Roelants who retired in February 2023.

…To Join ICA from Solidaridad, an international civil society organisation

The International Cooperative Alliance Board has appointed Jeroen Douglas as its new Director General. Jeroen Douglas will succeed Bruno Roelants who retired in February 2023.

The Search Committee, with the support of the recruitment consultants Norman Broadbent, was able to select from over 200 high calibre applicants, split almost in equal proportions between male and female, from every region of the world.

Douglas currently serves as Executive Director of Solidaridad, a global Network organisation (www.solidaridadnetwork.org).

He has a background in theology and cultural anthropology and has led the development of various global sustainability roundtables for sugar, soy, and beef, such as the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) and the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS).

Commenting on the appointment ICA President Ariel Guarco said: ‘We are happy to have reached a decision having considered applications from a significant number of strong candidates. We believe that Jeroen has all of the qualities we need in a Director General of the organisation and that he will make a significant contribution to the development of an ICA that is capable of addressing the challenges we face

In accepting the appointment Douglas said: ‘I am delighted by the decision to appoint me to this position, and I commit myself to serve the Board of the ICA and the wider cooperative movement to the best of my ability.
I consider it a great honour to be able to join such a great organisation that has had such an impact on people’s lives over the years and which is based on a set of values which have never been more relevant.’

It is anticipated that Douglas will take up his appointment no later than the 1st of January 2024 but an exact start date had yet to be agreed upon. In the Interim period, President Ariel Guarco will continue to cover the responsibilities of the Director General.

Douglas will be the 17th Director-General of the ICA which was founded in 1895.

A Dutch national, Douglas is currently executive director of Solidaridad, an international civil society organisation. He joined the organisation in 1992 as campaign officer. In 2009 he become director for Solidaridad in Latin America, a role in which he managed finance, governance, partnerships, advocacy and fundraising in the region. In 2016 he was appointed Solidaridad’s strategy director and drove the development of the network’s 2016-2020 strategy, being responsible for network-wide policy and related programme implementations. In 2019 he was appointed as executive director, a position in which he aims to ensure the alignment of the network around one vision, one mission, one strategy.

SOURCE: ICA & Co-op News