Cologne/London. The General Assembly meeting in London on 24th March elected a new Board for Malteser International e.V. (MI). Two additional board positions were created to expand the expertise available to the leadership of the organization. Five existing Board Members were re-elected for an additional term and were joined by five new members. Raphael Vermeir, from Belgium, and a member of the British Association of the Order, was elected as the President.
“I am humbled by the trust shown to me by the members of MI in electing me as President, and by the wonderful legacy that I inherit from my predecessor, Thierry Comte de Beaumont-Beynac,” said Vermeir. “We face huge challenges, and our help is in more demand than ever before. But I am excited by the huge potential that MI and the Order have to meet this need in a competent, efficient, and effective way.”
Vermeir outlined the priorities for MI in its future strategic development: “We want to make more use of the sovereign status and unique network of the Order to scale and enrich our work. We want to support effective communication to make sure that our work is trusted, understood, and well-coordinated. And we want to underline these things by placing a premium on transparency, trust, and responsibility to our Lords the poor and the sick.”
The new Board of MI now consists of a total of ten members of the Order of Malta, and includes representatives from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and the United States. “I am looking forward with great anticipation to working together with my new colleagues to bring their excellent skills, profound dedication, and expansive networks to bear in service to our mission.”
Background:
Raphael Vermeir CBE
Raphael Vermeir graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique, ULB in Brussels with a BA in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Summa cum Laude in 1977 and received a MS in Management and a MS in Engineering in 1979 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Raphael Vermeir had a long career at ConocoPhillips starting in 1979. He has been a board member of Eni Since 2020 and is also on the Board of Sedibelo Palitinum Mines as well as a consultant to AngloAmerican. Raphael Vermeir was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2008 and has served on the Board of MI since 2017. He has a long history of dedicated engagement with the Order of Malta including as a volunteer in Lourdes and is a Knight of Magistral Grace.
Malteser International (MI) works as an international humanitarian aid organization. It is an aid organization of the Catholic Order of Malta and particularly fulfills the order's mission of "helping those in need". The mission is to improve the health and living conditions of suffering and displaced people worldwide. The organization provides aid to people in need in over 140 projects in 35 countries, regardless of religion, political persuasion, origin or gender. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence form the basis of its work. Further information: www.malteser-international.org
Press contact:
Kathrin Münker, Head of Communications, Phone 49 (0)221 9822-7180, kathrin.muenker(at)malteser-international.org
