In her role, Ayya will support the Secretary General in communications to stakeholders and the outside world. With over ten years’ experience in public relations, media, communications and linguistic services, she has worked for embassies, NGOs and the private sector in Libya, Italy, France and the Netherlands.

"I am happy to have joined IADC as Communications Coordinator and the successor of Melanie,” says Ayya. “I look forward to learning more about the dredging industry and I am excited to contribute to the Association's work on sustainability and disseminating information about the fascinating world of dredging."

At the beginning of April, IADC will bid a fond farewell to Melanie Taal. “I have enjoyed my time at IADC, the opportunities it has brought and the places that I have been able to visit,” says Melanie. “During the 36 years I have worked for the Association, both the industry and the Association have seen many changes. This is of course inevitable and necessary to equip us with the knowledge and expertise to cope with the challenges of a fast moving world. During the pandemic, like many people, I started to question what the important things in life are and how I envisaged the future to be and came to the conclusion that it is time to move on to new challenges. I wish the Association well on its further journey to sustainability, inclusivity and growth.”

photo caption: Ayya Shahhat (right) will partly take over Melanie Taal’s (left) role as Project Manager, who is leaving the secretariat after an career of 36 years at IADC.