Organization
IBBY's policies, programmes and projects are determined by its Executive Committee: ten people from different countries and a President, working on a voluntary basis and selected biennially by the IBBY Sections at a General Assembly during the IBBY Congresses. The IBBY Treasurer, the President of the Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury, the Chair of the IBBY Trust, the Bookbird Editor and IBBY Executive Director are ex-officio members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee works within the framework of the IBBY Statutes. The daily management of IBBY's affairs is conducted from its Secretariat in Basel, Switzerland.
The IBBY Sections are organized in many different ways and operate on national, regional and international levels. In countries that do not have a Section, individual Membership in IBBY is possible.
At its General Assembly held on 8 August 2026, the IBBY Sections elected a new Executive Committee for the term 2026–2028.
President
Basarat Kazim is a pioneering literacy advocate from Pakistan. Founder of the Alif Laila Book Bus Society, she has impacted over one million children by establishing 7,000+ innovative libraries, including mobile camel and boat units, reaching remote communities.
An author of 26 books, she founded IBBY Pakistan in 2005 and has led global literacy initiatives responding to natural disasters and pandemics. Her work promoting equity and access has earned global recognition, including the 2024 IBBY iRead Award and the Library of Congress Best Practice Award.
Basarat is serving as IBBY President since September 2024.
Executive Commitee
Vice-Presidents
Laia López is Head of Communications at IBBYcat, incoming Secretary General, and coordinates communications for the 2028 Barcelona World Congress. With a background in strategic corporate communication and NGO work across Latin America, she bridges professional expertise with a passion for children’s literature and Waldorf education. Since joining IBBY in 2022, she has focused on strengthening the organization’s global identity and fostering institutional collaborations. Laia leverages purpose-driven communication to highlight literature’s role in building empathy and peace, ensuring IBBY’s mission thrives in the 21st century. Laia was first elected on the IBBY Executive Committee for the period 2026–28.
Additional roles:
- IBBY World Congress 2028 Liaison
Tucker Stone is a publishing veteran with over 15 years of experience in comics and graphic novels. Currently Executive Director of Marketing at Fantagraphics, he has served USBBY since 2015 in various leadership roles, including President and, as of 2026, Executive Director. A 2018 Will Eisner Award winner for editing, Stone is deeply embedded in the children’s literature community. Based in Minneapolis, he lives with his family, including his daughter, an avid YA reader, reflecting his personal and professional commitment to youth literacy and diverse storytelling. Tucker Stone is serving as IBBY Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee since 2024.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison Officer for North America
- Institutional liaison for the International Literacy Association (ILA)
- EC Representative on the BookBird, Inc. Board
Voting Members
Charalambos Demetriou
Charalambos Demetriou, an educator for over 20 years and M.Ed. holder, serves as Cyprus’s literature curriculum counsellor and IBBY Cyprus Vice President. First elected to the IBBY Executive Committee in 2024, he actively shapes global strategy, serves on major award committees, and coordinated the 2026 International Children’s Book Day, linking IBBY International with Cyprus as the 2026 host-sponsor section. A dedicated reading promoter and newly published author, he has organized significant exhibitions, presented at IBBY World Congresses across Asia and Europe, and fostered intercultural collaboration as IBBY Europe’s Liaison Officer. His extensive experience bridges national curriculum development with international advocacy, uniting children and books globally.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison Officer for Europe
- Member of the 2028 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards Jury
Hazel Hernández is a Costa Rican cultural manager championing reading as an essential tool to build identity and belonging, Her work focuses on evolving digital practices and building inclusive literary ecosystems that center youth voices globally. Between 2012 and 2026, she has led Fundación Leer / IBBY Costa Rica to position children’s literature as a cultural right through policy and grassroots initiatives. With UNESCO experience, she fosters equitable book access and intercultural dialogue across the region. Elected for a second term on the IBBY Executive Committee, she has served as IBBY Latin America and the Caribbean’s Regional Coordinator since 2024.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Member of the 2028 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards Jury
- Chair of the Projects Subcommittee
Yukiko Hiromatsu is a renowned Japanese writer, editor, and curator specializing in picture books. Former Vice President of JBBY (2021–2025) and Chief Curator at Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo, she now serves as a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University of the Arts Graduate School.
An influential critic for major newspapers, she has judged prestigious international awards like BIB and Bologna, even presiding over BIB in 2017. Her extensive curatorial work and publications, including Japanese Picturebooks – 100 Years, 100 Illustrators, 100 Books, establish her as a leading global authority on children’s book culture.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison Officer for Asia-Pacific
- Member of the Projects Subcommittee
- EC Representative on the BookBird, Inc. Board
Diana Laura Kovach is an Argentinian specialist in Children’s and Young Adult Literature bringing over 30 years of experience as an educator and cultural manager. Holding advanced degrees from Argentina and Spain, she actively trains reading promoters and serves on ALIJA (IBBY Argentina), having judged the Hans Christian Andersen Award twice. Through her platform "La Brújula Lectora," she connects academic research with digital mediation. Dedicated to literacy as a right, she works to strengthen Latin American communication networks and increase global visibility for regional authors and high-quality books.
Additional roles:
- Member of the 2028 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards Jury
- Member of the Projects Subcommittee
Elisabetta Lippolis, a translation graduate specialised in children’s literature, combines thirty years of international cooperation experience with dedicated literacy advocacy. Currently President of IBBY Italy and Liaison Officer, she previously chaired the 39th IBBY World Congress in Trieste. A reading specialist and certified Narrative Medicine facilitator, she designs reading projects and provides training for diverse groups, including multicultural contexts, hospitals and prisons. She collaborates with Trieste University on pediatric master programmes, and seats in the Advisory Board for the PhD Programme in Reading Education of Perugia University. Active on the IBBY Executive Committee since 2024, she co-chaired the 2026 Reading Promotion Awards Jury, bridging literature, health, and cross-border cultural collaboration.
Additional roles:
- Co-chair of the 2028 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards Jury
Dr Jane O’Hanlon, former Head of Education at Poetry Ireland, specializes in arts-based learning and children’s literature. Holding advanced degrees in Women’s Studies and Children’s Literature, she chaired Ireland’s STEAM Advisory Group and co-edited Arts Education in Ireland (2025). A 2023/24 Fulbright Scholar, she researched arts pedagogy in the U.S. with Poets House and the Maxine Greene Institute. Serving on the IBBY Executive Committee since 2024, she advocates for the transformative potential of arts learning within formal education systems globally.
Additional roles:
- Co-chair of the 2028 IBBY Reading Promotion Awards Jury
Virginia Phiri, a retired accountant and acclaimed Zimbabwean author, is a prominent literary figure and conservationist that has written Children's Literature and recorded Children's Audio Stories. Known for novels like Desperate and Highway Queen, she has contributed to major anthologies including Women Writing Africa and presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair. An expert on African orchids, she has co-authored over 70 scientific articles. Phiri holds leadership roles as Chair of WOCALA, IBBY Zimbabwe, and sits on multiple boards. Elected to the IBBY Executive Committee in 2024, she combines her financial expertise with a lifelong commitment to literature, women’s rights, and children’s reading advocacy.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison Officer for Africa
- Member of the 2028 Reading Promotion Awards Jury
- Member of the Projects Subcommittee
Mingzhou Zhang is a distinguished publisher, translator, and former IBBY President (2018–2022). A veteran of China’s children’s literature sector, he organized the 2006 Macau World Congress and served on multiple award juries, including BIB. He established IBBY’s relationship with the International Publishers Association and co-created the IBBY-iREAD Award. An IBBY Executive Committee member since 2024, he continues his decades-long commitment to global reading promotion.
Additional roles:
- Member of the Projects Subcommittee
- Institutional Liaison for the International Publishers Association (IPA)
Ex-officio Members
Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury President
Shereen Kreidieh, a PhD holder in Publishing, is a leading figure in Arabic children’s literature. Founder of Asala Publishers (1998), she currently serves as President of LBBY (IBBY Lebanon). A former IBBY Executive Committee member (2018–2022), she has judged the Andersen Award twice and manages the LBBY/UNESCO library reconstruction project in Lebanon. An academic at Haigazian University and Board member of Book Aid International, Kreidieh combines publishing expertise with advocacy to strengthen reading ecosystems across the Arab world. In 2026, she joined the board of trustees of Book Aid International. A Jury Member for the Hans Christian Award in 2018 and 2022, she was elected as Jury President for the 2026 Award.
Additional roles:
- Regional Liaison for the Middle East and North Africa
- Institutional Liaison for Book Aid
- Co-Institutional Liaison for BIB
Chair of the IBBY Trust
Redza Khairuddin is currently the President of Malaysia Board on Books for Young People (MBBY). He obtained a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from RMIT University, Australia in 1993 and an MBA from Ohio University, USA in 1996. He has been actively involved in publishing for more than 25 years, most notably in the national publication of educational and children's books. In Malaysia he has been involved in various roles in the development and promotion of books and publications. He organized the 2nd Asia Oceania IBBY Regional Conference 2015 and the 38th IBBY World Congress, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in 2022. He has served as EC Member from 2006 to 2008 and from 2018 to 2022. He was elected IBBY President in 2010 and served in the position until 2014. In May 2024, Redza was appointed Chair of the IBBY Trust with the mission to reactivate the activity of this important fundraising committee. He is an ex-officio Member of the current Executive Committee.
Treasurer
Hasmig Chahinian is in charge of IBBY France at the National Centre for Children’s Literature at the French National Library. She has been a member of IBBY’s executive committee for many years, taking on various roles, and is currently serving as treasurer. With her Armenian, Lebanese, and French heritage, Hasmig has a strong interest in multicultural identity and languages; she runs training courses and publishes articles on the subject. Her doctoral thesis focused on the relationship between Armenian children’s reading and the formation of their identity. Hasmig founded the “Kotot” publishing house to offer quality books in Armenian for children.
Bookbird Inc. President
Valerie Coghlan is an independent researcher and lecturer with a particular focus on picturebooks, graphic novels, and international children’s literature. She has been involved with IBBY for many years. She is a founder member and past-President of IBBY Ireland and was co-editor of Bookbird: A Journal of international Children’s Literature (2005-2009). She co-edited Bookbird: A Flight through Time (2021), a history of Bookbird and IBBY, and she is the current President of the Bookbird, Inc. Board. A founder member of Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) and the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature (ISSCL), she has also served as a board member of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL) and of the Library Association of Ireland. She strongly believes in young readers’ rights to access to libraries in schools and local communities and to books of the highest quality. She has taught on courses on children’s and young adult literature and on school libraries in a number of universities in Ireland and has published widely on her areas of interest.
Secretariat
Executive Director
Carolina Ballester was born in Paris and studied in Spain and France, obtaining an MA in Political Science from the Madrid Complutense University and degrees in Chinese and Arabic from the French National Institute of Oriental Studies (INALCO). She worked as a translator and as cultural attaché at the Consulate of Spain in Shanghai. For ten years, she was in charge of international programmes for the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, where she promoted and developed international interest in international children’s books in general, and picture books in particular. She served on juries for children’s illustration catalogues and contests. Carolina joined IBBY as Executive Director in 2022 and brought international experience and fluency in several languages. She is an ex-officio Member of the Executive Committee.
Additional roles:
- Institutional Liaison for UNESCO
- Co-Institutional Liaison for BIB
Manager: IBBY Programmes, Communications, and Advocacy
Alessandra Leopardi was born in Lechería, Venezuela and immigrated to the United States at a young age, graduating with a BA in International Studies and East Asian Languages and Literature from the University of Florida. She pursued an MA in Global Issues at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, where she spent a number of years teaching English Literature at a private school in Tokyo. She moved to Switzerland to pursue an MA specialising in Human Rights and Humanitarianism at the Geneva Graduate Institute, where her research focused on the importance of literature and reading in ensuring children’s right to a quality education. During her time at the Institute, Alessandra worked with the International Publishers Association, supporting the Secretariat in developing communications and conducting research. Alessandra joined IBBY in February 2025, bringing her cultural background, her international experience, her passion for education, and her sensitivity for IBBY’s mission and values.