José María Vera appointed as Oxfam International interim Executive Director

The Oxfam Board of Supervisors today appointed José María (Chema) Vera as interim Executive Director of Oxfam International. Vera is currently Executive Director for Oxfam Intermon (Spain). He will assume the role for approximately six months while the Board’s new Search Committee recruit a permanent replacement.

Vera said he was “delighted and humbled” to be chosen and ready to work closely with his 20 affiliate and observer director colleagues and the excellent Oxfam International teams. After having studied industrial engineering and volunteering in Perú, he first joined Intermon as Campaigns and Policy Director before spending six years at the Ibero-American General Secretariat, coordinating programs of its Heads of State Summits. He re-joined Oxfam Intermon in 2012 as Executive Director and has since worked closely with Byanyima on Oxfam’s transformation process that has seen the confederation become more aligned and globally balanced. He has represented Oxfam internationally, reflecting his experience in long-term development, humanitarian responses and high-level advocacy. Vera also jointly founded Ingeniería sin Fronteras (Engineers Without Borders) in Spain.

Byanyima is joining UNAIDS as Executive Director on October 25. Byanyima congratulated Vera on his appointment and said she would begin immediately to work closely with him to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Byanyima told staff that Vera will bring in excellent leadership for the interim period and that “I would like to thank you for walking the Oxfam journey with me for the last six years and your extraordinary work and commitment to building a more equal world, free from the injustice of poverty.”