Board of Trustees
The Charity’s current Board of Trustees is comprised of 15 members who are jointly responsible for the strategic direction and policies of the charity as delegated by the General Council. The Board of Trustees normally meets four times each year. The current membership is shown in the table below.
The members of the Board of Trustees are also trustees of the charity for the purpose of charity law, and are Directors of the limited company. Under the Articles of Association, the President and President-Elect, as well as the Treasurer, are elected by the General Council and serve for a term of two years in each position. The Vice-Presidents for each region are elected by their respective regional bodies. Chairs (or Co-Chairs) of all Standing Committees are also members of the Board of Trustees.
Our Board of Trustees
| President | Dr Simón Barquera |
| President-Elect | |
| Past President | |
| Treasurer | Prof. Jason Halford |
| Vice President Latin America (FLASO) | |
| President Asia Oceania (AOASO) | Prof. Kyoung-Kon Leonard Kim |
| President Europe (EASO) | Prof. Volkan Yumuk |
| Past President North America (TOS) | Dr Elizabeth Parks |
| Chair: International Scientific Committee | Prof. Karine Clément |
| Chair: Clinical Care Committee | Dr Ada Cuevas |
| Chair: Policy & Prevention Committee | Prof. Kent Buse |
| Chair: Publications Committee | Prof. Nick Finer |
| At-Large Member | Adam McCormack |
|
Person with lived experience |
Ogweno Stephen |
| Person with lived experience | Amber Huett-Garcia |
| CEO: World Obesity Federation - Secretary to the Board (non-board member) | Johanna Ralston |
Past governance
| Year | President | President-Elect | Secretary | Treasurer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-1990 |
Barbara Hansen |
Bernard Jeanrenaud |
Stephan Rossner |
George Bray |
| 1990-1994 |
Bernard Jeanrenaud |
George Bray |
Arne Astrup |
Stephan Rossner |
| 1994-1998 |
George Bray |
Stephan Rossner |
Arne Astrup |
David York |
| 1998-2002 |
Stephan Rossner |
Claude Bouchard |
Arne Astrup |
David York |
| 2002-2006 |
Claude Bouchard |
Arne Astrup |
Tessa Van der Merwe |
David York |
| 2006-2009 |
Arne Astrup |
Philip James |
Tessa Van der Merwe |
David York |
| 2009-2014 |
Philip James |
Walmir Coutinho |
Ismail Noor |
David York |
| 2014-2016 |
Walmir Coutinho |
Ian Caterson |
N/A |
Ian MacDonald |
| 2016-2018 |
Ian Caterson |
Donna Ryan | Christine Trimmer | Ian MacDonald |
| 2018-2020 |
Donna Ryan |
John Wilding | Johanna Ralston | Ian MacDonald |
| 2020-2022 |
John Wilding |
Louise Baur | Johanna Ralston | Caroline Apovian |
| 2022-2024 |
Louise Baur |
Simone Barquera | Johanna Ralston | Caroline Apovian |
| 2024-2026 | Simone Barquera | Bruno Halpern | Johanna Ralston | Jason Halford |
Our history
Find out more about our hsitory, including past governance, on our history page.
Our history