PEOPLE

Barbara Rigassi joined the AO Alliance Board of Directors in January 2025, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, making her an invaluable addition to the AO Alliance governance team.

Until 2024, Rigassi was the Managing Partner of BHP – Brugger und Partner AG. Having served as a member and chair of various strategic bodies, including boards of directors and foundation boards for over 20 years, Rigassi has a proven track record of guiding organizations towards success. Her career has covered the Swiss government, private enterprises, including in finance and insurance, the health sector, and non-governmental organizations. She has been recognized for her strategic vision and ability to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

Ruth Gremminger is a senior consultant at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology at the Kantonsspital in Winterthur, Switzerland, where she also serves as deputy team lead for pediatric orthopedics and deformities. She is a board-certified specialist in orthopedic surgery and traumatology, with additional specialist qualifications in general surgery. Gremminger brings extensive clinical expertise across complex orthopedic and trauma care and speaks German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

Cyril Muller joined the AO Alliance Board on July 1, 2021.

He spent 25 years at the World Bank, working in operations, finance, and corporate functions. He was a World Bank Vice President from November 2011 to October 2020. His last assignment was Regional Vice President for Europe and Central Asia where he led World Bank programs in more than 30 countries.

He also held positions with the Swiss federal office for foreign economic relations and SGS Société Générale de Surveillance. He has worked on economic development issues, with a focus on human development (health, education, social protection) and growth and jobs in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

He holds economics degrees from Neuchâtel University and New York University.

Prof. Tim Pohlemann is the immediate Past-President of the AO. He led the organization as President from 2023 to 2025, contributing significantly to strategic development and professional alliances during his tenure. He is an orthopedic trauma surgeon and serves as professor of traumatology and reconstructive surgery at Saarland University in Germany.

Irene Eigenmann Timmings joined the AO Alliance Board of Directors in January 2026, bringing extensive international experience in strategic leadership, business development, and operational transformation within global nonprofit and healthcare‑related organizations.

She is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the AO Foundation, where she has been a member of the Executive Management Committee since 2014. In this role, she supports the long‑term strategic development of the organization, oversees global operations and financial stewardship, and contributes to strengthening the impact and sustainability of AO‑led initiatives worldwide.

Prior to her current role, Irene Eigenmann Timmings built a broad international career across strategy, finance, operations, and organizational development in complex, multinational environments. Her professional background spans leadership roles in global organizations and boards, with a strong focus on driving sustainable growth, strengthening operational effectiveness, and supporting long‑term transformation initiatives. She holds a degree from the University of St. Gallen and is a Certified Internal Auditor.

Stella Itungu is the Chief Executive Officer of the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA) after joining in July 2020. She holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Finance and Investment from Coventry University and a First Class (Honours) Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration (Human Resources Management) from Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU).

Ms Itungu joined COSECSA with over 20 years of experience in Administration, Operations Management, Strategic Planning, Human Resources & Financial Management, and presents a strong background in planning, coordinating, and implementing donor-funded regional projects/programs among the multiple Member States. Previously, Ms Itungu has worked with the East African community (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda) under the World Bank funded Financial Sector Development and Regionalization Project, in charge of project administration and coordination. Ms Itungu has also been involved in planning, coordinating, and facilitating training under the USAID and World Bank capacity building programs.

Prior to the East African community, she undertook various managerial functions; as Director of Operations on a private public partnership (PPP) arrangement under the Global Fund (Malaria Component) pilot project in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Malaria Consortium in Uganda, and Human Resources and Administration Management with the Consulate of Finland-Uganda.

With a distinguished career, Ms Itungu has been instrumental in advancing the organization’s mission to improve surgical care across the region. Her leadership is marked by a commitment to enhancing surgical standards, promoting training and accreditation, and fostering collaboration among medical professionals globally. Under her stewardship, COSECSA has continued to play a crucial role in addressing surgical challenges and improving patient outcomes in East, Central, and Southern Africa.

Linda Chokotho, MBBS, FCS(ECSA)ORTH, MPH, PhD is the first female Orthopaedic Surgeon in Malawi and a researcher. She was the founding president of the Women in Surgery Association of Malawi (WinSAM).  She is currently working at the Malawi University of Science and Technology. She previously worked with Beit Cure International Hospital and the Department of Surgery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi. As a researcher, she has been involved in violence and injury and musculoskeletal research since 2011. She has worked as a research consultant with the COSECSA Oxford Orthopaedic Link (COOL) project, The World Bank, the Ministry of Health in Malawi, and the AO Alliance in projects aiming at improving trauma data quality, trauma and fracture care delivery and pre-hospital trauma care. She has also collaborated with international institutions such as the Harvard Global Orthopaedics Collaborative and Institute of Global Orthopaedics and Traumatology (IGOT). She has had several successful grant applications as a co-applicant with the University of Stirling, Scotland, and a PhD research grant from Norhed project. She is a member of the Core Group for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Mentor-VIP, a global violence and injury prevention mentoring program. She has published widely in international and peer-reviewed journals, with 42 publications to date, and one book chapter publication.

Simon Matthew Graham, MBChB, MRCS, MSc (Res), FRCS (Tr&Orth), PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, and his research focuses on advancing higher standards of care in musculoskeletal trauma in low- and middle-income countries. He is also Major Trauma and Limb Reconstruction Surgeon at Liverpool University Hospital Foundation Trust. Simon has completed a PhD investigating fracture healing in HIV positive patients and he is actively involved with research across sub-Saharan Africa. He has also completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and published widely in the literature, presented his research internationally and leads a team developing global orthopedic research in low-income countries.