Bodour Al Qasimi becomes IPA new president

Bodour Al Qasimi of Kalimat Group, UAE is the President-elect of the IPA, with Karine Pansa (Girassol Brasil Edições, Brazil) confirmed as Vice President-elect at first ever virtual IPA General Assembly.

The IPA’s 2020 General Assembly also represented the last for outgoing President, Hugo Setzer who thanked IPA’s members for all their support and encouraged them to continue to work together to overcome the damage of the COVID pandemic on the international book industry.

Bodour Al Qasimi remarked, “As the second woman to assume the role [of IPA President] in 124 years, this is an important advancement in our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. Leading by example puts the IPA on an even firmer footing to make the case for a diverse publishing industry. I plan to work closely with all of our members to help our industry recover from the ravages of 2020 and transition smoothly to a post-COVID world; and to set our essential industry on a bright, new track.”

While Karine Pansa, said, “I am looking forward to working with our President-elect to overcome the many challenges created by this difficult year, but also to seize the opportunities it creates to reshape our industry for the future.”