Effective July 2014, Owen Ryan will be executive director of the International AIDS Society (IAS), according to an IAS statement. He will head the IAS secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibilities will include overall management, financial sustainability and implementation of strategic plans.

Ryan has nearly 20 years of experience with HIV/AIDS. Most recently, he was deputy director of public policy at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Previously, he was a program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation working on HIV policy and advocacy.

Ryan also was a board member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as Funders Concerned About AIDS. His HIV/AIDS efforts include initiatives in Zimbabwe and Malawi. He has both a Master of Public Health degree and a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University.

IAS is an independent association of HIV professionals with members from more than 170 countries. The organization will host the XX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) from July 20 to 25 in Melbourne, Australia. Ryan will be attending.

To read the statement, click here.