Statement
16 June 2021
Amsterdam and Cape Town – The Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+) is delighted to announce Gerard van Mourik and Sbongile Nkosi as our new Co-Executive Directors.
“Sbongile and Gerard both bring extensive experience and skills including public policy, advocacy, communications and organisational management,” said GNP+ Board Chair Jacquelyne Alesi. “Their passion, energy and lived experiences will help us deliver on our mission to improve the quality of life for all people living with HIV. We are confident that their collaborative and engaging joint leadership opens an exciting new chapter in GNP+’s journey.”
GNP+ decided on a shared leadership model to help drive greater accountability and inclusivity in our organisation. Alesi added “We are thrilled to have successfully recruited our first Co-Executive Directors and we will work with them to build a culture of mutual accountability, shared decision-making and representation as well as flexibility and support.”
Sbongile is an award-winning journalist, organisational leader, and advocate for social change. She has worked for Treatment Action Campaign and was the first black woman to lead a health news agency (Health-e News Service) in South Africa. Gerard has led projects in Asia, Africa, and Europe for a range of international NGOs and UN agencies including helping to set up the board and structures of the Global Fund when it was first launched.
“As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 emergency, GNP+ and its partners must step up collective efforts to ensure a fully funded response to HIV,” said Gerard van Mourik. “I am looking forward to working with my Co-Director Sbongile and the rest of the team to strengthen GNP+ and our support to networks of people living with HIV so that we are able to rise to the challenges faced by the HIV movement.”
“This is a critical moment for the global AIDS response particularly for the most marginalised and stigmatised communities who continue to be left behind,” said Sbongile Nkosi. “I am glad to have the opportunity of working as a Co-Director with Gerard to apply the feminist principles of sharing power and amplify community leadership to address the inequalities that drive HIV and other epidemics like COVID-19.”
Bridging the North-South divide, Gerard will be based in Amsterdam and Sbongile in Johannesburg. They start their new roles at GNP+ on 16 June 2021. The Board and staff team are looking forward to working with Sbongile and Gerard and continuing our work with diverse communities of people living with HIV around the world.
The Board would like to thank the recruitment panel for their efforts and the staff team for stepping up during the transition.
For more information or to interview our new Co-Directors, please contact: info@gnpplus.net
