HCWH Europe elects new board and celebrates milestones at 2024 AGM

On 12 June 2024, HCWH Europe held its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Executive members of Europe’s Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) network came together online to hear about HCWH Europe’s work in 2023, and to elect a new Board of Directors.

Voting rights at HCWH Europe General Meetings are reserved for our Executive members. Any existing GGHH members that are interested in playing a role in the governance of HCWH Europe are invited to apply for Executive Membership by contacting the HCWH Europe networks team.   

Summary of 2023 activities

Anders Bolmstedt presented the Directors’ Report for 2023, outlining that during the year:

• A new Executive Leadership Team (ELT) was formed
• The HCWH Europe team has expanded, growing to more than 25 staff members, with revenues of almost €3 million
• HCWH Europe has secured funding for several major new projects
• The GGHH membership ended the year at over 190 members with a pipeline to grow the network to over 200 in early 2024
• CleanMed 2023 was held with a new hybrid format. The European conference was organised online and a smaller regional conference was organised in the local language in Berlin
• HCWH Europe celebrated two decades of sustainable healthcare with its new anniversary report

Treasurer, Christian Dreissigacker, presented the 2023 audited accounts, reporting another year of strong financial performance, along with the 2024 budget.

The Board of Directors was discharged for its work in 2023 by the AGM.

Nine candidates for HCWH Europe’s new Board of Directors were all put forward for election. A rigorous recruitment process was undertaken to identify the candidates based on seven distinct skills profiles. This will ensure that the new Board brings the necessary blend of skills and experience to maintain momentum and success going forward. The following Board members were elected or re-elected: 

• Anders Bolmstedt (previous Board member, Chair)

• Annemiek Hoogenboom

• Gary Cohen (HCWH Co-founder and President)

• James Dixon (previous Board member)

• Kenneth Barker

• Maria Gaden (previous Board member)

• Oliver Bisazza

• Pavel Richter

• Rachid Kherrouf 

The new Board will serve a two-year term, with newly elected Board members eligible for re-election in 2026. Profiles for all members of the new Board of Directors can be found here.

Image

Anders Bolmstedt said: ​​“We are delighted to reinstate some of our existing Board whilst also welcoming new Board members. 

The new Board reflects the breadth and international reach of HCWH Europe, and will provide leadership whilst prioritising the ongoing growth and development of HCWH Europe along with concentrating on promoting membership engagement at this important point in our history”.

During the AGM, Anders Bolmstedt also thanked Will Clark, who is stepping down from his position as Executive Director of HCWH Europe after six years of dedicated service.

Board Induction

The new Board of Directors held its first meeting in Brussels from 3 - 4 July 2024 as part of a two-day induction session. During the meeting the Board elected Anders Bolmstedt as Chair, Pavel Richter and James Dixon as Vice Chairs, Rachid Kherrouf as Treasurer and Oliver Bisazza as Secretary. 

The induction was an opportunity to build relationships, make new Board members aware of our key opportunities and the challenges we face in the coming years whilst beginning to sketch out some guiding principles for how the new Board will work and contribute to the governance and development of HCWH Europe. 

We also thank Peridot Partners, who HCWH Europe partnered with earlier this year to manage the process of identifying, appointing and inducting our new Board.