IPEN Co-chairs:    Dr. Olga Speranskaya.   Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith.

Dr. Olga Speranskaya.

At the end of July, 2010, IPEN confirmed that Dr. Olga Speranskaya of the NGO Eco- Accord in Russia will be IPEN's new Co-Chair for the 2010-2012 term. Dr. Speranskaya is the Head of the Program on Chemical Safety at Eco-Accord, currently IPEN's Regional Hub for the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and the Central Asian region. Dr. Speranskaya graduated with a MA in geophysics from Moscow State University and received her doctorate in geophysics from the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Science. She also received an honorable diploma from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources for the development of environmental education in the Russian Federation in 1999-2000.

Over the years, Dr. Speranskaya has established a civil society network that focuses on phasing out toxic chemicals in 11 former Soviet states. To that end, Dr. Speranskaya is also a member of the Inter-agency Commission on the development of the Russian National Implementation Plan of the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

In 2009, Dr. Speranskaya was named one of Time Magazine's Environmental Heroes, and she was also awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her work to protect human health and the environment from toxic chemicals, a prize she accepted on behalf of herself as well as IPEN.

IPEN is pleased that Dr. Speranskaya accepted the role of Co-Chair and enthusiastically looks forward to her continued leadership within IPEN during her tenure over the next two years.

Dr. Mariann Lloyd-Smith.

IPEN Co-Chair (2006 - present),

Mariann is a Director of the research group, BioRegion Computer Mapping & Research Pty Ltd (BRCM).

Mariann gained her PhD from the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney and has worked in the area of chemicals policy and waste management for over two decades. For ten years, Mariann was the coordinator of the National Toxics Network Inc (NTN), a peak public interest NGO in Australia and Pacific region and now serves as one of its Senior Advisors.

Mariann was an author of Australia's national management plans for hazardous waste and has made numerous contributions to journals, books and conferences on topics relating to chemical assessment and management, contaminated land, community information systems and children's environmental health. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of a range of information systems to support environmentally sound chemical management, including the co-development of the model for Australia's National Pollutant Inventory.

In IPEN Mariann leads the NGO delegations to the United Nations scientific committee assessing new persistent organic pollutants for international bans. Trained as a negotiator in chemical disputes, she participates in the international meetings of the Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel Conventions, and the Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management (SAICM).

  Version: August 2010