In late June, Laurence Bond has announced his plan to retire in the Autumn as the Director of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and, therefore, also as member and Chair of the Equinet Executive Board. This is of course an unfortunate development for Equinet and a great loss for the Network as Laurence has proven to be an excellent Chair, providing strong leadership and guidance since his election at the last Equinet Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2021. Furthermore, his contributions as a Board member for the last few years and as the Director of an Equinet member have been invaluable and will be greatly missed.
In his announcement to the Network, Laurence Bond stated: “It has been a great honour for me to serve as the [Equinet Executive Board] Chair and I want to take this opportunity to thank all my impressive Board colleagues and all the excellent colleagues in the Secretariat. I also want to thank all [members of the Network] for [their] ongoing commitment and engagement which is what continues to make Equinet such an inspiring network and such an important leader in promoting equality for all.”
This announcement comes at a key moment for the Network, considering various key equality priorities ahead on the European agenda including the upcoming new EU legislation on Standards for Equality Bodies proposal expected in the Autumn, and the adoption of a new four-year Equinet Strategic Plan at the next AGM in October. Recognizing the need for a smooth transition and strong Chair leadership internally and externally at this is crucial point, the Equinet Executive Board held an extraordinary meeting on 4 July. During the meeting, the Board unanimously voted to nominate and elect former Chair Tena Šimonović Einwalter (Ombudswoman of Croatia) to take on the role of Chair for the remainder of this mandate until 2023, effective immediately , which she accepted with full commitment to the importance of work ahead for Equinet and all equality bodies.
As she accepted her nomination by the board, Tena Šimonović Einwalter remarked: “We are at a historical point now, only months from the European Commission proposing EU legislation on Standards for Equality Bodies. It is both my duty and privilege to chair our network in such a moment. I am aware of the need for continuance in strong leadership to both Equinet and its members, and in the remaining part of the mandate, will offer the most out of my previous experience as chair, as well as from the years of advocating for and developing legislation on standards. Together we can make it a reality, and I am looking forward to the joint efforts to achieve this milestone.”
Laurence Bond will remain as a Board member until the effective start of his retirement in the Autumn, and the Board will continue discussing the procedures to fill the open board seat left by his departure at their next meeting on 22 September.
The Equinet members, Executive Board, and Secretariat are grateful to Laurence Bond for his strategic and wide-ranging contributions to the Network over the years and wishes him the best for this new phase!