Many members may not be aware that Mary Jane Peters passed away just before Christmas. Mary Jane had been seriously ill for some years and passed away on the 24th December.
It is hard to put into words just how much she will be missed both as a colleague and friend. Mary Jane was the founder of AHRMIO. Her passion and dedication was immense and has put AHRMIO where it is now.
Mary Jane recognised that a vehicle for cooperation among a broad array of international not-for-profit organizations in the field of human resources was very much needed. At the time, no professional HR associations transcended national boundaries or focused on the unique needs of international not-for-profit organizations. The success of AHRMIO has led to greater fraternity among HR professionals in this sector and has helped to foster lasting and enriching contacts.
Mary Jane had a long career in the United Nations System serving in various roles. From 2004 to 2006 she served as Secretary of the High Level Committee on Management and Director of the Chief Executives Board Secretariat in Geneva.
Before taking on the whole management area for the UN’s Chief Executives Board (CEB), Mary Jane was the CEB’s Inter-Agency Advisor on Human Resources Management (1992 to 2003). Prior to that (since 1973), she served with the International Labour Organization (ILO), both in HR and in the area of entrepreneurship and management development.
Mary Jane was a member of the Advisory Board of the Bath University School of Management and Bocconi University’s Executive Master on Strategic Human Resources Management.
Mary Jane was American though she spent part of her life in France and in Switzerland. Her energy, charm and larger than life personality, will be missed by all those who knew her.
To those involved with AHRMIO she meant friendship, openness, vision, guidance and advice. She was a loyal and dear friend. We will miss her greatly but her legacy will live on through the work of AHRMIO in the years to come.
At the moment this is very hard on all of us but with time we will surely be able to look back with a smile in our face at a truly remarkable lady.
Goodbye Mary Jane. We will never forget you.