The IHF announces new leadership

The IHF has announced that Eric de Roodenbeke, its current CEO, is to retire later this year, and that Ronald Lavater will be taking over his responsibilities as the new CEO on 1 December.

“We are very pleased to welcome Ronald Lavater to the IHF and believe his very strong health service business experience will equip him to lead IHF forward during its next phase of development,” said Dr Risto Miettunen, IHF President, who chaired the selection committee for the new CEO. “Even before the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 crisis, the IHF leadership, with the adoption of IHF beyond 2020 strategy, recognised the need for the organisation to find a new impetus to maintain IHF’s global relevance and its role as a thought-leading organisation. Ronald has the right leadership experience to continue IHF’s position as an international platform for exchange of operational knowledge and professional practices for health leaders and to enhance engagement with the private sector both on corporate and service delivery fronts.”

Lavater comes into the position with 25 years of leadership experience in academic, private and publicly traded healthcare companies in the US and international markets, including leading hospitals for HCA Healthcare in the US and for Johns Hopkins Medicine International in the United Arab Emirates.

“I am honoured and excited to be selected to lead the IHF,” he said. “Now, more than any other time in recent history, there is a need for international collaboration among our health services and IHF can have a significant positive impact during this time of uncertainty.”

Commenting on the role of his successor, Eric de Roodenbeke said: “During this extraordinary time, we planned for a meaningful transition to allow us to build on our current assets while transforming our services to better respond to the IHF community expectations. I am very confident that Ronald will bring to the IHF additional capacities that will allow further growth and relevance of the organisation for it to fully achieve its mission.”

The IHF has witnessed a tumultuous year, and Hospitals & Healthcare commends Eric de Roodenbeke for his relentless work as the CEO of the IHF over the last 12 years. The Covid-19 global pandemic has caused many challenges for the international healthcare sector, and this is a subject that de Roodenbeke liberally talked about in a recent Q&A with Hospitals & Healthcare. We wish the IHF all the best in its endeavours to encourage and facilitate international collaboration among health services.