We are pleased to announce that Karen Hayes, CEO of Guide Dogs Victoria, was last night elected as a member of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) Board.

The IGDF is the most significant peak body for Guide Dogs associations globally and this year, a number of IGDF Board Members retired and submissions for new appointments were opened.

After a round of written and video submissions, and being placed against three other highly respected and accomplished Guide Dogs figureheads from around Australia, Karen was named as the successful nominee for Australia, in a 5:1 landslide victory.

From here, Karen’s submission was included into a pool of all successful candidates from around the world, at which point the top four candidates were selected. Karen ranked joint second and was duly appointed at last night’s IGDF Annual General Meeting.

On the appointment, Karen Hayes said, “I’m extremely honoured to have been appointed to the IGDF Board and look forward to representing Australia’s low vision and blindness community at a global level,”

“Being a part of the IGDF Board will ensure Guide Dogs Victoria and the broader Guide Dogs Australia network continues to stay at the forefront, providing world-class services that will improve outcomes for our Clients, our dogs, our employees and supporters.”

We congratulate Karen for this achievement and know Karen’s passion and commitment to the work we do here in Victoria, and indeed the work of Guide Dog schools all across the world, will be of enormous benefit to both the IGDF and on improving outcomes for our Clients, our dogs, and our supporters.

We look forward to seeing what the future holds for the IGDF and for Guide Dog schools everywhere.