The Council of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) has elected Dr Mohammed Azman bin Aziz Mohammed from Malaysia as President of the Association. The Council also elected the new ISSA Treasurer and Control Commission and renewed the mandate of the Secretary General.
The elections were held during the 39th ISSA Council meeting, which took place on 28 October 2022, on the closing day of the World Social Security Forum in Marrakech, Morocco. Dr Azman is Chief Executive Officer and Director General of the Social Security Organisation (Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial – PERKESO), Malaysia. The new President has been actively involved in the ISSA for years, including as Bureau member, President of the Technical Commission on Organization, Management and Innovation and Vice-President of the International Section on Prevention in Transportation.
“As President, my vision is to steer our ISSA in the post-pandemic environment to promote resilient and holistic social security coverage – from cradle to the grave”, said Dr Azman in his election speech. The new President has been elected for a three-year mandate and replaces Professor Dr Joachim Breuer who has served as ISSA President since 2016.
Jean-Marc Vandenbergh, Director General of the National Employment Office, Belgium, was elected as ISSA Treasurer for a three-year term. Mr Vandenbergh also looks back to a long-term active engagement in the ISSA and he was the Chairperson of the ISSA Control Commission during the last six years.
The ISSA Council also renewed the mandate of Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano from Brazil as Secretary General of the Association and elected the new members of the ISSA Control Commission:
- Carlos Gerardo Arias Alvarado, Executive Director, Pension and Retirement Board of the National Teachers’ Union, Costa Rica (Titular auditor)
- Ahmed Imraga Abdelgader Bulgasem, Head of Expense Department, Social Security Fund, Libya (Titular auditor)
- Fabian Pilzecker, Head of Finance in the Corporate Services Department, German Federal Pension Insurance, Germany (Titular auditor)
- Zohra Hannachi Oueslati, Accounting Director, National Social Security Fund, Tunisia (Deputy auditor)
With these elections, the Council has ensured that key functions in the ISSA governance are filled with highly experienced officials from ISSA members in all regions.