Dear colleagues, I would like to congratulate Mirjam Kühne and Niall O’Reilly on their selection as the new RIPE Chair and Vice Chair. Both Mirjam and Niall have a long history within RIPE; they are experienced chairs, they understand consensus, and they share the community's expectations in terms of transparency and openness. I am sure they will continue to serve the community well in their new roles. I am happy that I no longer have to occupy both the RIPE Chair and RIPE NCC Managing Director roles. I intend to pass the torch to Mirjam and Niall as soon as they are ready to assume their new RIPE responsibilities. I do not expect this will take very long. As Managing Director, I am fully committed to giving the new leadership and the RIPE community the support it needs, just as my predecessors supported myself and Rob Blokzijl before me. On behalf of the RIPE NCC, I would like to wish our new RIPE Chair and Vice Chair the very best. Kind regards Hans Petter Holen RIPE NCC Managing Director