International Bar Association announces first woman president in 20 years
Almudena Arpón de Mendívil would also be the second woman to hold the position in the Association’s 76-year history
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The International Bar Association (IBA) will be led by a woman for the first time in 20 years. Almudena Arpón de Mendívil, a partner at Madrid firm Gomez-Acebo & Pombo has been announced as the new president of the IBA and would also be the second woman to hold the position in the Association’s 76-year history.
She succeeds Sternford Moyo of Zimbabwe and will head the global Bar association for a two-year tenure.
Announcing on January 12, 2022, the Association said Ms. Arpón de Mendívil intends to focus on five key themes as IBA president. Among them include, gender equality in the legal sector, analysing and anticipating human rights protection in the digital environment; and preparing the legal profession for the future, especially young lawyers.
“I take on this responsibility with great excitement and firm commitment. My aspiration as President of the IBA is to steadily elevate the Association to the next level. Our profession, through a global association as the IBA, has a great opportunity as well as the responsibility of assuming a leading role in upholding the rule of law, democracy, and human rights across the world and thus having a positive impact in society,” Ms. Arpón de Mendívil is quoted to have said.
Having been a member of the IBA for 25 years, she has also held positions including vice president, treasurer and chair of the legal practice division before her appointment.
“Ranked in prestigious legal directories as one of the leading professionals in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) sectors, Ms Arpón de Mendívil is a Corporate/M&A partner and head of the TMT Group at Gómez-Acebo & Pombo. She holds a law degree from ICADE, a master’s degree in European Union Law from the College of Europe in Bruges and a PIL from Harvard Law School,” IBA said of its new president.
The IBA was established in 1947, shortly after the UN was created. Its membership consists of 80,000 international lawyers, and 190 bar associations and law societies.
