After 15 years in office, Mimi Jakobsen has been fired from her position as secretary general of international organisation Save the Children.
“We have made the decision that now is the right time to find a replacement,” Lars Svenning Andersen, the president of Save the Children’s executive committee, told TV2.
“You can call it a resignation,” he added.
According to Andersen, Jakobsen, who will leave her position with immediate effect, does not agree with the main board’s decision.
“Not an easy decision”
Andersen asserts that it was not an easy decision to dismiss the secretary general.
“Mimi Jakobsen has done a great job at Save the Children in the 15 years she has been here,” he said.
“In Mimi’s time, Save the Children has grown in both size and reputation, and today we can help many more disadvantaged children in Denmark and abroad.”
One of the reasons for Jakobsen’s exit from the company is that her term on the international board expires this year, and it has constantly been on the cards that her position as secretary general will be discussed.
New leader for a new era
The board at Save the Children are currently searching for a new member to lead the organisation into a new era.
According to Andersen, the process of finding a replacement begins immediately, and it is expected that the new secretary general will have joined by the beginning of 2016.
One of the new secretary general’s tasks will be to strengthen the company’s economic standing.
“Save the Children’s turnover has grown significantly in recent years, reaching 450 million kroner in 2015.”
“However, if we are to continue to grow and help more children, we need a greater financial solidity. We have had this goal for several years, but it has not yet been achieved.”
Call for a stronger economic foundation
Hence, Jakobsen’s successor must possess an even sharper focus on strengthening Save the Children’s economic foundation, Andersen said.
Deputy secretary Jonas Keiding Lindholm will be appointed secretary general until Jakobsen’s successor is found.
