WOSM Secretary General
The Secretary General is appointed by the World Scout Committee of which he/she is an ex-officio member. He/she is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and directs its Secretariat, the World Scout Bureau. He/she promotes and safeguards the interests of the Movement.
Luc Panissod, born in 1949, became Acting Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in November 2007. In this position he leads an Organization of more that 28 million members, girls and boys, women and men, in 160 countries.
He has specialised knowledge, as well as experience, in the main sectors of an organisation: policy definitions, strategic business planning, general administration, personnel management, accounting and management of finances, public relations and communications. Information technology and psycho-sociology are also not foreign to him.
Luc studied at the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris, having completed a Diploma in Economics, a Masters in Economics, and then a 'Certificat d'Aptitude à l'Administration des Entreprises CAAE-MBA' at one of its affiliated institutes. He was preparing his PhD on the "Marketing of public and social causes" when he joined the World Scout Bureau.
Before joining the World Scout Bureau in 1982, Luc worked, both in Switzerland for the private sector as manager of a graphic arts industry company and in France for the public sector as head of the general management department of a large semi-public research centre and "Chargé de Mission" in liaison with the Cabinet of the French Minister of Transportation.
In 1991 he was promoted to Deputy Secretary General of WOSM, responsible for the General Management of the World Scout Bureau.
Luc was awarded with the Bronze Wolf Award in 1996 – the highest honour in World Scouting - and a number of awards from National Scout Organizations. He speaks French and English fluently, has a working knowledge of German, and is also a father of two.
Previous Secretary Generals
