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Spanish partner becomes 2nd-ever female IBA president
Almudena Arpón de Mendívil y Aldama, partner at law firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo in Madrid, Spain, is the first female president of the International Bar Association in two decades.
Jerome Doraisamy
Ms Arpón de Mendívil becomes only the second woman in the IBA’s 76-year history to be named as its president.
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She takes over from Sternford Moyo of Zimbabwe, and she will serve for two years over 2023–24.
Prior to becoming IBA president, Ms Arpón de Mendívil served as its vice-president from 2021–22 and has been on its management board since 2009.
As president, she plans to focus on five key themes, the IBA noted in a statement: highlighting the impact of the legal profession in society; approaching gender equality in the legal sector with a frontal and transversal view; placing the legal sector as a relevant player in the ESG agenda; analysing and anticipating human rights protection in the digital environment; and preparing the legal profession for the future, especially young lawyers.
Speaking about her new role, Ms Arpón de Mendívil said: “I take on this responsibility with great excitement and firm commitment. My aspiration as president of the IBA is to steadily elevate the association to the next level.
“Our profession, through a global association as the IBA, has a great opportunity as well as the responsibility of assuming a leading role in upholding the rule of law, democracy, and human rights across the world and thus having a positive impact in society.”
