Dear WIEGO Colleagues and Friends,
I am writing to share the news that after 15 wonderful years as part of the WIEGO team — 7 of them as WIEGO’s International Coordinator — I have decided that the time has come for a leadership transition.
When I took over as International Coordinator in January 2018, I committed myself to building sustainable structures that would support WIEGO to do its best work while maintaining our core values. I feel very proud of how we have gone about that work. I also feel proud of departing my post with a modernized organization, diversified team and strengthened global network in place. While my own changing life circumstances have convinced me that now is the time to step down from the work I have loved for many years, I also know this is a great time for WIEGO to step into the next era with energetic new leadership in place.
As part of our sustainability work over the past few years, we developed a succession plan that allows for a smooth handover period between leaders. Therefore, I will stay on through the end of December 2024 and work with my successor to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.
Announcing WIEGO’s Incoming International Coordinator
Following an internal recruitment process led by the Management Committee of our Board, I am thrilled to share that Dr. Laura Alfers will step into the role as WIEGO’s International Coordinator starting January 1, 2025.
Laura joined WIEGO in 2009 to support the Social Protection Programme and became its Director in 2017. Since joining WIEGO close to 15 years ago, Laura has focused on bridging the grassroots realities of workers in informal employment with global research, advocacy, and policy narratives and directions. As Director, she brought new talent into the programme, carving out WIEGO’s niche in social protection, workers’ health and child care, and ensuring that the concerns of workers in the informal economy are heard by the global development community and policy bodies at national, regional, and international levels.
Laura holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. She also holds an MPhil in Development Studies from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Her scholarly work has been featured in prominent international journals such as the International Social Security Review, Global Social Policy, and Environment and Urbanization. She lives in Makhanda, South Africa, where she is also a Research Associate at the Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit at Rhodes University.
The Board was especially impressed with Laura’s clear vision for WIEGO as a provider of global thought leadership on areas of critical importance to workers in informal employment and her ability to interpret broad trends.
I have full confidence in Laura’s ability to lead WIEGO into the future and am so excited about the perspective and fresh energy she will bring. Over the years we have worked together, I have been struck by Laura’s sharp and strategic thinking. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to plan and deliver in ways that shift the ground in key policy spaces, with a spirit of collaboration and grounded knowledge of the informal economy.
I hope you will join me in congratulating Laura as she leads WIEGO into a new chapter!
In solidarity,
Sally