Brussels, 3rd November 2021,
It is with great pleasure that we inform you of Ms Mae Ocampo joining Protection International AISBL as its new Executive Director.
Ms Ocampo brings several key strengths to this role. Ms Ocampo is a feminist woman and human rights defender who began her activism at a young age, resisting land-grabbing and powerful institutions in the face of threats and risks to her local community in the Philippines. Over the past three decades, she has focused on collective work, building relationships and forging alliances and movements, strengthening national and regional capacities, as well as bringing the voices of local communities from Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eurasia into national, regional, and international areas. She has over 20 years of experience in senior leadership and management positions in international NGOs based in Southeast Asia and Europe.
Ms Ocampo’s style of leadership complements PI’s organizational culture, values, and ways of working. She is inclusive, consultative, participatory, and consensus-based, and is strongly driven by feminist values. During the rigorous, competitive selection process, the Board was impressed by her experience in strategic leadership, change management (particularly in decentralization), cross-cultural communication across geographical regions, commitment to an intersectional, inclusive, and diverse way of working, resource mobilization skills, nurturing and care for individual and collective well-being, and focus on impact in human rights. She has an impressive track record of effective advocacy, communications, and networking with diverse stakeholders. We find her to be an approachable and humble leader, with the ability to listen and relate to people from all backgrounds. She brings resilience, wisdom, and good judgment in the face of challenges.
We are confident in Ms Ocampo’s leadership and expertise in this new phase of growth and development for our organization. For this reason, please join me in congratulating her as she embarks with us on this new and exciting phase for Protection International.
Dr Alice Nah,
on behalf of the Board of Protection International AISBL