Donald Hobern will head GBIF Secretariat from end-January 2012.

The Governing Board of GBIF has approved the appointment of Donald Hobern as its new Executive Secretary.

Currently the director of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), Hobern will take up the post at the end of January 2012. He will arrive at the Copenhagen-based Secretariat as GBIF starts to implement its new strategic plan for 2012-16, aimed at advancing the data content, informatics and engagement of its worldwide network.

Donald Hobern previously worked in the GBIF Secretariat between 2002-7, most recently as Deputy Director for Informatics.

In recommending the appointment, the GBIF Executive Committee considered that Hobern combined the experience and knowledge to lead the technical part of GBIF’s biodiversity informatics mission, with the diplomatic skills required to reach out and engage partners and Participants in a highly complex environment.

Announcing the appointment, the GBIF Chair Joanne Daly said, “I am delighted that Donald has decided to come back to GBIF at this critical and exciting time.

“He pulled off a remarkable achievement in building the Atlas of Living Australia in a very short time, showing leadership in bringing together disparate parties to construct an amazing portal for Australian biodiversity data. That achievement was only possible because it was built on the backbone provided by GBIF, to which Donald himself had contributed so much.
 
“Donald is the right person for GBIF at the right time, and this appointment confirms that it has a great future.”

Approval of the appointment was given at the start of the 18th meeting of the Governing Board (GB18), taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 4 and 6 October. Donald Hobern is attending the event to give a presentation on the Atlas of Living Australia at the annual GBIF Science Symposium, whose theme this year is Celebrating Ten Years of GBIF.

Commenting on confirmation of his appointment, Donald Hobern said:

“I am really excited to be returning to work with GBIF. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility has a unique and important role to play in supporting national and international activities to manage biodiversity data.

“I look forward to learning more about how GBIF can meet the needs of each of its Participants. There are so many exciting projects going on in different regions, and global collaboration can help to maximize the benefits from all this work.”

Hobern replaces the current GBIF Executive Secretary Nicholas King, who leaves his post at the end of December after four and a half years in the job.

“GBIF is poised to really deliver on its ten years of investment to date, as we wrap up this phase. Donald is the right person to take GBIF forward for its next exciting phase,” said King.

Joanne Daly paid tribute to Nicholas King’s contribution during his time as Executive Secretary. “Nick has worked tirelessly and with great skill, ensuring that GBIF has fulfilled the mission of its current phase, to move into full operation as a global facility for the benefit of science and society.”  

Donald Hobern has a background in software development and web architecture, and he worked 16 years for IBM before joining GBIF in 2002. He has a lifelong passion for natural history, and in recent years paid particular attention to the Australian Pterophoridae (plume moths), assisting with some curation of these species in the Australian National Insect Collection. He was formerly Chair of TDWG Biodiversity Information Standards.

For further information, contact:
Tim Hirsch
GBIF Senior Programme Officer for Engagement
thirsch@gbif.org