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The IOC’s Executive Director, Abdellatif Ghedira, bids farewell to the Organisation after eight years of successful and fruitful leadership.
On Wednesday 20 December, the staff of the IOC and other friends of the institution got together to send-off the outgoing director, thanking him for his passion and hard work since he took on his role as Executive Director in 2016. Amongst innumerable milestones, both staff and IOC member countries agree that his dedicated work and resilient spirit helped improve the intergovernmental organisation’s reputation. Under his leadership, the IOC family welcomed twenty new members who have now adhered to the United Nations’ International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives.
During the goodbye ceremony, Director Ghedira – or Lofti, as he is known by his friends – thanked the staff for their persevering work, reminding them that a director is only successful if the team behind him work together as one. Felix Madrid, Head of the Financial and Administrative Affairs Unit, acknowledged Ghedira’s passionate and restless devotion to the IOC, thanking him on behalf of all the staff. Jaime Lillo, who will take over as Executive Director in a week’s time, also expressed his gratitude to the Tunisian leader for his diligent efforts and his friendship, gifting him with a map representing the capital cities of Madrid and Tunis in one. In his turn, Ghedira offered all staff members a silver olive tree with dark coloured hard stones to commemorate their journey together.
In a solemn closure ceremony, the departing director and the rest of the IOC staff planted an olive tree together in the Organisation’s Garden of Peace — a symbolic testament to his unwavering dedication to the intergovernmental organisation and a living embodiment of its enduring legacy.
The IOC staff wish to express their gratitude to Abdellatif Ghedira for his devoted work, as well as to bid a very warm welcome to Jaime Lillo in his new role.
You can read the Executive Director’s farewell speech here.
