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Paris 21.06.2024

Under the leadership of President Sheila Woodward (South Africa/USA), the Executive Board of the International Music Council has appointed Sanni Kahilainen (Finland) as Executive Vice-President, Mamou Daffé (Mali) and Maria Claudia Parias (Colombia) as Vice-Presidents and Dorothy Conaghan (Ireland) as Treasurer.

In addition, Ananya Bhattacharya (India), Reem Kassem (Egypt/UAE) and Paulo Zuben (Brasil) join the Executive Board as coopted members in its task to steer the implementation of the roadmap adopted by members at the last IMC General Assembly held in Rabat in November 2023.

Ananya Bhattacharya, co-Founder/Director of Banglanatak dot com, promotes inclusive, sustainable development through culture-based methods. Ananya holds an electrical engineering degree from Jadavpur University and a Sustainable Development Masters from Staffordshire University and has over two decades of experience in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and addressing gender rights, and sustainability. Ananya champions community-led development, notably through the Art for Life initiative, safeguarding living heritage and fostering rural cultural tourism. Over 8000 folk musicians benefit from capacity building, documentation and recording, digital inclusion, multicultural exchanges, facilitated by initiatives like the World Peace Music Festival Sur Jahan, music tourism, music residencies, living museums etc.

Reem Kassem is an Egyptian cultural manager, producer, and researcher with 23 years of experience, based in Abu Dhabi. Awarded one of 50 most inspirational women in Egypt in 2021. Founder of AGORA for Arts and Culture, co-founder of Basita.live hybrid events platform, and head of performing arts at the Culture Foundation Abu Dhabi. She is an international fellow of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, a global fellow of the International Society for Performing Arts, a Chevening Scholar and a Clore Cultural Leadership Fellow, a Tandem Shaml, and a Robert Bosch Stiftung Alumni.

Paulo Zuben is a composer and cultural manager. Since 2008, he has been the artistic-pedagogical director of Santa Marcelina Cultura, a social organization responsible for managing the School of Music of the State of São Paulo – EMESP Tom Jobim, Teatro São Pedro and Guri Program. In 2017, he took over the artistic direction of Teatro São Pedro, which became one of the main national references in operatic production, having received several awards from the press and public, including those for the best shows presented in 2018 and 2019.

The newly coopted members complete the Executive Board which includes, in addition to the above-mentioned President and officers, Emily Achieng Akuno (Kenya), Anothai Nithibhon (Thailand), Ardavan Jafarian (Iran), Federico Rinaldi (Italy/Belgium) and Roel Vanhoeck (Belgium).

Sheila Woodward expresses her satisfaction: “as president of the IMC, I am honored to present the current Executive Board elected by our international membership community to serve as representatives in promoting the Five Music Rights across the globe. Strengthened by the newly coopted members, Anaya Bhattacharya, Reem Kassem and Paulo Zuben, this stellar team offers a combination of unique expertise and experience that will bring a distinctive brilliance of leadership to the international music community in promoting the musical rights of all.”