Founder of RI's WWF program steps down
Founder of RI's WWF program steps down
JAKARTA (JP): Russel Betts left the post at the World Wide Fund for Nature-Indonesian Program (WWF-IP) which he nurtured for seven years with the emotion of a father letting go of his child.
"The current WWF-Indonesian Program is rather like a child to me," Betts confided in an interview. "I created it and nurtured it through its early years, but now it is time for it to go forward on its own."
Betts accomplished many things during his term as the Indonesian Program chief executive officer, including the "Indonesianization" of WWF's representative office here.
His place was filled, starting on Feb. 7, by Agus Purnomo, who has experience leading various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in this archipelago.
"I'm pleased with it. Agus Purnomo has long been one of my top candidates as an Indonesian to eventually replace me as the leader of the WWF-IP, and I'm proud of my role in recruiting him for the position," he said.
During his leadership, Betts considered finding and building a staff capable of dealing with the large, sometimes immensely complex activities which form the basis of WWF-IP's work in Indonesia, as the most difficult problem.
Under the new chairman, he said he expects the program to continue to seek more and better ways of achieving WWF's global goals and objectives in the Indonesia setting.
Although now under Indonesian leadership, the WWF-IP is expected to continue to maintain an international posture with an optimal mix of national and international staff.
"I expect the program to maintain a cosmopolitan international perspective, and to maintain the highest possible international standards of excellence in project and program design and implementation, in financial management and in assessment and evaluation," Betts said.
He said changes in the WWF Indonesian office are forthcoming. The most important of these are the creation of a new legal basis and governance structure for WWF-IP, including the establishment of a WWF foundation and the creation of a new Indonesian board.
The "father" of the WWF-IP will remain in Indonesia for a few more months to ensure a smooth transition, remaining with the organization as a senior advisor.
In July he will move to Geneva to take up his new position as president and director of a new WWF conservation consulting firm.
"I'm honored that WWF International has asked me to undertake this assignment. If it works, then a global conservation/environment consultancy network will have been created in direct affiliation with the world's largest non-profit conservation NGO," Betts said. (ste)