By Muthoni Maina
Jacqueline Mugo, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) has been elected as the first female president of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).
“This landmark appointment marks the first time a female African leader takes reins of the global employer movement in its more than a century existence,” the organisation wrote
She is set to head the 155-member IOE as the new president. On June 2nd, she was elected by the member states during the general assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
Other than being a CEO and an Executive Director, Ms Mugo also holds the seat of secretary general of the Business Africa Employers Federation. She has also held senior-level positions in the judiciary (Advocate of the High Court), in multinational enterprises and in the aviation sector.
She is to take over from Michele Parmelee who served from 2021 to 2024 and is set to serve in the position for a three-year term.
The organisation views her as an ‘accomplished transformational business leader’ who is professional with decades of experience that she harnessed from years of working in both public and private sectors.
Mugo conveyed her appreciation for the contribution the organisation has had in building her professional career, in her acceptance speech.
The General Council also elected six Vice Presidents to assist Ms Mugo in the new term. They include Renate Hornung- Draus(Germany)-Vice President to the ILO; Alexandre Furlan(Brazil)-Vice President Latin America,Sonya Janahi ( Bahrain)-VP Asia Pacific, Blaise Matthew(Switzerland) – VP for Europe and Central Asia, Hicham Zouanat( Morocco) – VP for Africa and Thomas Mackall( USA)- VP for North America.