New GRSP CEO meets Michael Bloomberg

The last week of February saw the coming together in New York of all the partners involved in the new phase of the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety. The week also saw our new CEO, Dr Barry Watson, commence in his new role, and so presented an ideal opportunity for him to join the Bloomberg meetings, engage with the partners and meet the man behind the Initiative, Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York City.

Pictured left to right: Dr Barry Watson, Michael R. Bloomberg

The series of ‘partner kick-off’ meetings held during the week served to review and refine the in-country and in-city implementation models and collaborative structures that will underpin the projects soon to begin in target sites right around the globe. Partners drew upon the lessons learned from the first five year phase of the Initiative, discussed shared objectives, project planning and implementation methodologies and looked to the challenges posed by the scale of the new five year phase.Speaking on the meetings and his first week with GRSP, Barry Watson said: ‘I can think of no better introduction. There is no doubt that the Bloomberg Initiative is highly significant in global terms. Besides the sheer scale of the Initiative, the programme features a strong focus on evidence-based solutions to the key road safety risk factors facing each of the selected countries and cities. This combined with a commitment to monitoring and evaluation makes the Initiative both unique and historic. Moreover, the many lessons that will be learnt from the Initiative will ensure its long-term legacy beyond the specific countries and cities being targeted.’.

Planning meetings with city and country representatives will follow in coming weeks, and we will keep you updated as projects commence in the target locations.