New ICN board elects three Vice Presidents who will advance strong vision to strengthen nursing and global health

20 June 2025
PR 35

Three new Vice Presidents have been elected by the new 2025-2029 Board of Directors of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), which held its inaugural meeting on 14th June 2025 following ICN’s Congress in Helsinki.

The three Vice Presidents are:

First Vice President: Sineva Maria Ribeiro, who represents the North and Eastern Europe region on ICN’s board.

Second Vice President: Megumi Yamaura-Teshima, who represents the Asia region on ICN’s board.

Third Vice President: Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, who represents the Africa region on ICN’s board.

The ICN President and three Vice Presidents serve as an Executive Committee of the Board of Directors that conducts business between Board meetings and advises the Board on strategic priorities and financial matters.

ICN’s newly elected President José Luis Cobos Serrano welcomed the election of the Vice-Presidents. He commented:

“I am thrilled to have the support of these three exceptional nursing leaders as Vice Presidents. I look forward to working closely with them, and I know that they are deeply committed to advancing ICN’s important work in all areas. Together, along with the rest of the ICN board, we will do our utmost to advocate for the nursing profession and for global health. In our uncertain and challenging global environment, we must work to ensure that all nurses are supported, valued, protected, and enabled as leaders who can transform our health systems and address our world’s most pressing issues, from conflicts and climate change to aging populations.

‘Every member of our Board is highly qualified and accomplished and could have taken on the role of Vice President. The selection of these three VPs was a collective decision by the Board. We strongly congratulate and welcome our new Vice Presidents, while remaining confident each Board member will play an equally vital role and take on key responsibilities over the next four years."

‘My presidential watchword is empowerment, and I know that this newly elected ICN Executive Committee, along with our talented and dedicated Board, will rise to the challenge of empowering our profession at every level, from supporting nurses to strengthening national associations to shaping global policy.”

Sineva Maria Ribeiro has been elected as the First Vice President. She is a registered nurse and specialist nurse in surgical care, President of the Joint Virtual Swedish Nurse Organisation for international work (JSNO), and has been President of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals since 2011. She is also Vice President of the Nordic Nurses Federation and a board member at the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN).

Sineva Maria Ribeiro said:

“I am so honoured to have been elected as First Vice President. I look forward to working with the members of the executive committee, along with the rest of the board, but also with all of the staff and the CEO. I am committed to strengthening ICN and all NNAs to be the voice of nurses in the world, and to represent nursing as a voice for leadership, improved working conditions, education, and better care for all people. It is important to increase the voice and impact of nurses in the world, which requires working strategically to achieve our goals, and I hope to see ICN grow so we can grow our nursing impact.”

Megumi Yamaura-Teshima has been elected as the Second Vice President. She has held several positions within the Japanese Nursing Association, including serving as a global strategic advisor. Currently, Megumi serves as a Vice President and Professor at Tokyo Healthcare University, and she is also a Professor Emerita at Chiba University. Additionally, she is an associate member of the Science Council of Japan.

Megumi Yamaura-Teshima said:

“Following a successful term on ICN’s previous Board, I am delighted and honoured to continue serving in this new capacity as Second Vice President. I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible progress we can achieve when we work together towards our strategic goals and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue that progress and support ICN’s new Board and President. Japan and the Asia region bring perspectives and experiences that are vital to ICN's global mission, and I am proud to represent our region’s nurses and ensure that their voices strengthen the nursing profession worldwide.”

Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo has been elected as the Third Vice President. She is a registered nurse, nurse educator, public health practitioner, trade unionist and a global health advocate with 26 years of professional experience in Ghana’s health sector. Perpetual is currently President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Member Secretary of Ghana’s Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme (HSOPS), a member of the 3rd & 4th Governing Councils of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM) and a member of the 14th & 15th Governing Boards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. She previously chaired both the West African Health Sector Unions Network (WAHSUN) and the Ghana PSI National Coordinating Council under PSI - Public Services International for 5 years, and she educates students and nurses at the Nursing and Midwifery Training College in Korle-Bu in Accra, Ghana.

“Being elected as the African representative on the ICN Board of Directors and as its Third Vice President is an honour and a great opportunity to serve nurses around the world. I am grateful to the leadership of African National Nursing Associations (NNAs) and the entire ICN Council of National Representatives for this wonderful opportunity to serve. I look forward to a wonderful four years of impact and empowerment of all NNAs.”

The ICN Board is elected every four years to serve as the agent of the Council of National Nursing Association Representatives (CNR), establishing and carrying out policy in accordance with the framework established by CNR. The 2025-2029 ICN Board comprises 12 nurses, 8 of whom are women. With the exception of the President, all members of the Board are elected on the basis of ICN’s regions, representing the diversity of the nursing profession around the world.

The full Board of Directors is as follows —

Officers:

  • President: José Luis Cobos Serrano (General Council of Nursing of Spain)
  • 1st Vice President: Sineva Maria Ribeiro (Joint Virtual Swedish Nurse Organisation for international work)
  • 2nd Vice President: Megumi Yamaura-Teshima (Japanese Nursing Association)
  • 3rd Vice President: Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo (Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association)

The members are:

  • Eastern Mediterranean: Myrna Abi Abdallah Doumit
  • West and Central Europe: Emily McWhirter
  • Southern Europe: Ricardo Correia de Matos
  • North America and Caribbean: Sylvain Brousseau
  • Central and South America: Nora E. Barahona De Peñate
  • South East Asia: T. Dileep Kumar
  • Asia: Ching Min Chen
  • Pacific and Eastern Asia: Debra Thoms