The Leadership Link: Connecting People and Purpose  

In January 2026, I am embarking on a new path as the president of the ESAIC. A path that brings together mission, systemic actions, and most importantly, empowering connections. Connections between people, committees, and initiatives to build a stronger, smarter, and more accurate health network for the benefit of our profession and our patients. 

I take this responsibility with great excitement, humility, a strong desire for action, and clear sense of purpose; taking steps to increase our VISIBILITY, redefining our identity as a profession, as LEADERS in our own community and in European healthcare, and most importantly strengthening the DEI principle within our Society and CONNECT – connect between members, between countries, other societies.  

There are moments when one feels like the path requires a turn, not because of an ending, but because of a beginning. Restructuring the Scientific Committee (in my position as the chair of this committee) from its traditional 16-committee format to a more holistic 5 Forums configuration to reflect our growing professional scope was the first step in this journey. Redefining our identity as anaesthesiologists, as the leading figure in the perioperative journey and beyond, is our mission. We wish to be the voice, not the echo. The leaders. 

• This year, for the first time, we launch a leadership programme for senior anaesthesiologists who aspire to become department chairs. This leadership course is NOT another course you may find at your hospital, university, or private organisation. It focuses on the unique challenges anaesthesia chairs face, emphasising our holistic role through case studies, simulations, discussion groups, and professional coaching with mentors. Having a group of programme graduates from different countries will not only serve the alumnae. Still, it will enhance connectivity and exchange of experiences and ideas for the benefit of our Society.  

• Leading perioperative care is one significant responsibility. Leading environmental care is no less critical, further expanding the scope of our professional responsibility and increasing our visibility. Strengthening awareness through educational materials, sustainability grants, incorporating sustainability into grant assessment, and planning collaborations with national societies and hospitals are among the initial steps we aim to take. 

• The leadership role of anaesthesiologists/intensivists during the COVID era is well known, though not well recognised. In the current era, where Europe facing unprecedented challenges – pandemics, wars, earthquakes, fires, flood– we aim to develop and lead the European Preparedness for Crisis Management strategy for Anesthesiologists and Intensivist to include the full spectrum of natural and human induced threats and bring together all available tools, share best practice & policies, set focused training programmes, consider disaster medicine part of anaesthesia curriculum etc.  

When you look at a company or a hospital or a professional society, ultimately what allows it to survive is its values, or as stated so clearly by Steve Jobs, “What’s important is not the products that we produce but our values. ESAIC is built on the pillars of science, research, education, exceptional guidelines, a renowned examination and mentorship, safety, and sustainability initiatives.ESAIC is a member society. Being connected and embracing the DEI strategy are core values. 

• CONNECT meeting – This year, for the first time, we will hold the CONNECT meeting, an ESAIC–National Society Collaborative Congress, to foster collaboration with national societies that cannot host Euroanaesthesia, enhancing knowledge sharing and education, advancing professional growth, and facilitating networking and future collaborations. So, save the date for the first meeting in Tirana, Albania, on 6-7 November 2026.  

• DEI – Following the publication of the Mellin-Olsen Declaration on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion during our congress in Lisbon, May 2025, we are taking measures to further facilitate awareness and implementation of DEI. We still have a way to go, but we are making progress.  

• ESAIC App – To stay better connected and become more visible, an ESAIC App will be launched soon, so that all information will be on our mobile devices for faster access.  

• International relationship – Some of our programmes are of interest to other Societies. While we have always had an MOU with European and non-European Anaesthesia – Intensive Care-Pain Societies, I do hope that the time has ripened to move forward into the integration of international members in some of our promising programmes.  

The ambition ahead for the next several years 

Looking ahead, the coming years represent a decisive step forward for our speciality. Anaesthesiology and intensive care are evolving into a discipline that supports patients across the entire surgical pathway. Those priorities include:  

• Create a Perioperative medicine fellowship programme – as mentioned before, our specialty is maturing, and, naturally, the time has come to establish a new standard for holistic patient care across the entire surgical journey. 

• Focus on innovation in anaesthesia & intensive care- Guiding the aspiring anaesthesiologists through the journey from an idea to product, establishing the stage for anaesthesiologists with innovative ideas to present their “product” in our annual meetings – are plans in progress.  

• Establish a comprehensive European database on perioperative medicine.  

A few facts about myself 

It’s not surprising (or maybe it is) that I’ve become an anaesthesiologist. My mother, my mentor for life and the closest person to me, was a professor of anaesthesiology, president of our national society, and a leader in the field. I “inhaled” anaesthesia throughout my life. My sons, nevertheless, took a different pathway, and the one who became a physician is a gynaecologist. The 5 grandchildren have yet to choose their own path.  

Like many of you, I make every effort to keep my jogging routines and yoga, to cook for friends and family (who come for Friday dinner every week), and to babysit – a passion one can only understand once becoming a grandma (or grandpa). I would rather choose a challenging trip with my husband (for example, we took the Annapurna Circuit) than relaxing in a Zimmer somewhere on earth. An exceptional experience I’ve had since COVID was being a dancer on “Dancing with the Stars”. Why and how I got to this adventure is too long to share, yet it was an amazing, unforgettable experience.  

Finally, I am grateful for the trust and take the opportunity to thank the past presidents of the Society, BOARD members, NASC president and members, EBA representative, Council members, and the dedicated management team. From all of you, I’ve learnt, and because of you, I progressed. With you, I look forward to walking together, learning, influencing, and creating a healthier future.  

New year, new role, new challenges.  

Looking forward to the journey ahead. 

Happy & Healthy & Peaceful 2026 

Prof. Idit Matot 

President, ESAIC