New IVO-President
Serge Mathis from France is the new president of the International Association of Orthopedic Shoe Technicians (IVO). At the delegation assembly on the occasion of the IVO-congress in Paris he was unanimously elected successor of Karl-Heinz Schott, who does not run for office any more. Serge Mathis, president of UPODEF (Union des Podo-Orthésistes de France), hosted together with his association the international congress in Paris and now wants to commit himself to the interchange and the cooperation of orthopedic shoemakers across borders.
The new IVO-president Serge Mathis (l.) and his predecessor Karl-Heinz Schott (r.) with Raymond Massaro (c.) from Paris, who was president from 1993 to 1999.
"It was a pleasure for me to hold the office for three years," Karl-Heinz Schott said about his time as IVO-president. The orthopedic shoemaker with German roots has had his company in Sydney, Australia, for many years and was elected president in Sydney in 2012. Schott has worked as a delegate in the IVO already since 1995 and announced that he would remain an active and committed member of the IVO also in the future. The IVO has two vice presidents. The second vice president traditionally comes from the host country of the next IVO-congress. In 2018 this will be Canada that already presented itself as host country at the IVO-congress in Paris. Jonathan Strauss from the Pedorthic Association of Canada was elected vice president. The office of vice president Olaf Toornend from Portugal is still running, thus he did not have to be newly elected.
Venue and date for the IVO-congress in 2018 have not been fixed yet. But the Canadian association announced that the congress is planned for spring. In fall of 2015 the venue and the exact date will be published.
Interview with Serge Mathis, new president of the IVO
Was the election a big surprise to you?
No, it was not a big surprise, because Karl-Heinz Schott mentioned already three years ago that he would like to hold the office only three years and that he would like to have a successor for the office of the IVO-president. What was surprising to me was the unanimity of the my election. That was very nice for me and showed me that the delegates are backing me.
I am very glad that I was elected president. The unanimous election means that the IVO is a very harmonic group of people that would like to cooperate for the success of orthopedic shoe technology in the world. I would like to contribute to this aim and do everything possible that the IVO makes progress.
What are your goals for the three years of your office?
I have three main goals for the three years: The first one is the education. Here we have to work together on education standards within the IVO, but also with other organizations like the ISPO. We are in the middle of the process and of course this has to continue!
My second goal is the cooperation with the WHO in Geneva. In Paris we talked with Mr. Khasnabi about the organization GATE. He proposed that the IVO cooperates here. Karl-Heinz Schott will accept this responsibility: It is important that orthopedic shoe technology is also recognized by this organization and that we orthopedic shoemakers will be more widely known.
My third goal within these three years is that the IVO gets bigger and that we can attract more members. I already have some contacts as to that. It is one of my goals as IVO-president that we can represent orthopedic shoe technology world-wide and that countries that are not yet members, will be members. A very ambitious program, as you can see...
I will try to get one or more of our members to undertake different tasks. We will cooperate tightly and we will experience a lot together - we will meet twice a year after all. I am confident that the delegates will cooperate and play a part in the tasks.
How long have you been working for the IVO?
I have worked for the IVO since the UPODEF became member, four or five years now, that I have joined every conference. In the last years the IVO has developed a lot - it is more dynamic than before. You see that the members want to get ahead. I would like us to continue in this direction, that we will advance as a whole.
What are the biggest challenges for orthopedic shoe technology on an international level, in your opinion? The acknowledgement of orthopedic shoe technology in the medical field, the education and the cooperation with new countries.
What countries do you have in mind? It is a bit early to talk about it right now, but we do not have any Northern European countries for example. Neither do we have any countries from Africa, this big continent. I know that in these countries something is moving concerning orthopedic shoe technology and I would very much like us to cooperate with these countries. We are also looking to Asia, China is a very big country to which there are already contacts. We have to see how we can cooperate with these countries and if they are ready for an IVO membership.
Do you think that your language skills (Fluent French, English and German, note from the edit.) will be helpful here? You often interpret at IVO-conferences.
Of course, certainly! In most African countries French is spoken. The IVO-presidents so far spoke only little French. Of course we cannot speak all languages, but if you can speak to a delegate in his or her language, it is easier.
How do you manage to reconcile your commitment within the IVO and the UPODEF with your own company? It is a lot of work, but the association work was also my wish! I organized my company that it continues even when I am not there. For example at the IVO-Congress in Australia in 2012 I was away for three weeks, but my staff worked in the company as usual. Of course I have to know what is going on there as the managing director, but it works out well. And in terms of the IVO: I have always participated in the last years. As the president I will need a bit more time, but not so much.
Which project will you tackle first?
I would like to start with the cooperation with Mr. Khasnabi from the WHO, because we already planned a conference with him at the ISPO-World Congress in Lyon in June.
Thank you and bonne chance!
Interview by Kathrin Ernsting
