The Berne Union has appointed Michal Ron, head of international relations at Sace, Italy’s ECA, as its new vice-president.

In an exclusive conversation with GTR, Ron reveals she hopes to become an important agent of change for the organisation as it adapts to reflect ongoing changes in international trade.

“I hope to facilitate further outreach, modernisation and structural changes at the Berne Union, focusing on the inclusivity of the wider membership and offering a significant contribution to the facilitation of trade growth,” she tells GTR.

Elected by members at the union’s 2014 annual general meeting (AGM) in London on October 21, Ron replaces head of economics and policy at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Andreas Klasen, in the role.

The one-year post will see her work closely with Berne Union president and global corporate CEO at insurer Zurich North America, Daniel Riordan.

Commenting on the appointment, Riordan tells GTR: “Michal brings innovative ideas to managing the international network of Sace teams around the world and she offers this same energy and expertise to her work with the 76 members of the Berne Union who are from more than 60 countries.”

As a representative of the fully state-owned Sace, Ron feels that representation from both private and public sectors amongst the Berne Union’s officers is a significant trend. “I believe the combination of a president from the private sector with a vice-president from a public European ECA is representative of the Berne Union’s extensive scope and reach to all forms of credit insurance and export credit providers,” she tells GTR.