It was difficult for us as Working Group 9.01 ‘Processes of International Cooperation’ to say goodbye to Susanne Wendt at the end of March.
Susanne started in 2013 as project coordinator for Mexico in the Latin America and the Caribbean Working Group and for a regional project on quality infrastructure for biodiversity and climate change mitigation. Mexico remained close to her heart during her secondment to the World Bank from 2016 – 2019, taking over as Head of the Africa and Middle East Unit from 2019 – 2020, and subsequently while leading Working Group 9.01.
In 2020 she became our boss and navigated our young and new working group through the difficult and challenging time of the pandemic with her calm and pragmatic manner. Suanne Wendt has been responsible for project finances, evaluation, emerging countries and external relations for the International Cooperation Group for the past three years.
Of the many points that will remain, we would like to highlight two. The first is the extensive information and diagnostic material that has been produced on the World Bank Group during her time in Washington DC. It is a comprehensive ‘toolbox’ for diagnosis and subsequent renewal for quality infrastructure systems. This toolkit helps our partner institutions and governments to analyse their QI systems and create a coherent set of services to support QI reform and capacity development. For those who would like more information, here is the link: https://www.ptb.de/cms/de/ptb/fachabteilungen/abt9/gruppe-93/qi-toolkit.html
Secondly, it is worth mentioning that she ran a Twitter account for years, happily sending short messages from the land of metrology to the world.
We will miss Susanne very much, but are happy with her about the many new impressions that the coming time has in store for her and hope that she can let a fresh wind blow around her nose!
We would like to close with a heartfelt thank you for the dedicated building of our team, which had to find itself twice, in virtual space and as an on-site team!
All of us at 9.01 wish Susanne much success, happiness and leisure in her personal, but also in her future professional life.
Copyright Illustration © PTB/Karyna Romanadze
