Setzer and Al Qasimi confirmed to lead IPA

Hugo Setzer, c.e.o. of Mexico publisher Manual Moderno, and Bodour Al Qasimi, founder and c.e.o. of the UAE's Kalimat Group, have been confirmed as the future president and vice-president of the International Publishers Association.

The election took place at the IPA's General Assembly meeting at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The pair will take up their new positions on 1st January 2019.

Outgoing IPA president Michiel Kolman said their selection was "great news" for the future of the organisation. "These are two people from different regions with great experience of the industry as publishers and within national, regional and international associations," he said. "Their commitment to IPA’s pillars, Freedom to Publish and Copyright, have been proven again and again. It is important that IPA’s leaders will now be gender balanced and show off the diversity of our organisation.!

Setzer described his election as "a great privilege", saying: "We work to make a better world by bringing the creations of countless authors to as many readers as possible. We entertain, we educate, we bring curated scientific information to those who need it. It is my mission to make sure IPA brings that message to policy makers worldwide."

Al Qasimi added: "I have never been more hopeful about our industry than I am today and what can be achieve together with IPA member support tomorrow. There are emerging industry issues that need to be addressed, freedom to publish injustices that deserve our collective attention, and publishers requiring our support to uphold their intellectual property rights." She told the Assembly: "Progress can’t happen without you, and I look forward to discussing how we can work together to move the IPA and the publishing industry forward."

Setzer has been IPA vice president since 2016, and chaired the organising committee of the successful International Publishers Congress in New Delhi earlier this year. Al Qasimi will take on a similar role for the International Publishers Congress in Lillehammer in May 2020.