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Staff sea changes at ICES Secretariat

ICES will welcome fresh faces whilst waving goodbye to old ones who set sail for pastures new. As 2013 rolls into 2014, ICES will see changes in Secretariat, Science, and Advisory personnel.
Published: 18 December 2013

​Here, long-serving colleagues Søren Lund and Claire Welling reflect on outgoing Advisory Programme Assisting Secretary, Diane Lindemann and Meeting & Conference Coordinator, Görel Kjeldsen:

In order to re-tire you must have experienced tiredness previously. However, this is not something our two senior colleagues seem to have had time for during their many years in the Secretariat, and not something either of them will be experiencing in the future as they glide seamlessly into a new lifetime period of adventure.

After almost thirty years of it one might think that what Diane will really miss is being the Word formatting expert. However, royalty is difficult to compete with and it is suspected she will miss rather more her status as Queen, with her own lunch hour throne whence she administers perpetual entertainment, undisguised truths (ouch!), and pavlovas in a steady stream. Needless to say her colleagues will miss all of the above.

Having provided discrete guidance for eleven ICES Presidents and six General Secretaries, Diane will now be devoting her energies to her family including seven grandchildren, three of them bonus grandchildren, and travels to her second home country Australia. Just so long as there are no fish around!

Diane: "After working in ICES for nearly 30 years I have a lot of memories, but I guess the people I work with and the social occasions will be remembered fondly. I think most of all I will miss the contact with everyone and people in Working Groups that I have got to know quite well, ICES has been a part of me for half of my life.

I don't think I am a fish expert – far from it – but I have learned some interesting things. Some fish are fascinating, but I just don't like eating them – except fish and chips of course!"

In her twenty years of devoted service to ICES, Görel has been the trusted organizer of countless Annual Science Conferences, ICES Centenary celebrations, arrangements for the participation of royalty at ICES meetings in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and many other events. Görel's Swedish charm has smoothed over many difficult situations and proven an absolute asset in all cases.

Many years ago she introduced the Swedish Lucia tradition in the Secretariat, inviting everyone to join in for a nice time with home-baked "lusekatte". Having lived in a suburban area during her time at ICES, Görel and her husband have recently bought a house in the country where she can now enjoy her family and concentrate on her creative side, getting inspiration from a nice garden and hearing the lowing of the cows.

Görel: "My fondest memory of ICES is working with good colleagues in the Secretariat and also during the Annual Science Conferences, both with a special team spirit. It has been interesting and challenging organizing a conference in a new country ever year. No two conferences were ever the same. I enjoyed every minute of it. Time is a precious thing and I will now devote more of that to my growing family (five grandchildren so far), to our friends, to our new house with an out-of-shape garden, to travels, and new hobbies."

In other significant ICES movers and shakers, both the Science Committee (SCICOM) and the Advisory Committee (ACOM) will welcome new Chairs at the start of 2014, with Yvonne Walther (SE) and Eskild Kirkegaard (DK) being respectively appointed for three-year tenures lasting 2014-2016.

Yvonne has had long-standing experience chairing ICES expert groups. With a broad scientific background, though roots predominantly in Baltic fish stock assessment, Yvonne was previously chair of the Baltic Committee and Science Steering Group of the Regional Seas Programmes. Eskild, meanwhile, has served as Vice Director of the National Institute of Aquatic Resources DTU Aqua in Denmark for the last six years.

ICES Secretariat, meanwhile, welcomes Inigo Martinez as Professional Officer Advice, Anna Davies in her new position as Conference- and Training Coordinator, and Eirini Glyki as Advisory Programme Assisting Secretary.

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​We are wishing well for ICES Secretariat retirees Diane Lindemann and Görel Kjeldsen.

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Staff sea changes at ICES Secretariat

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