Ben Sulayem wants to modernize the FIA

Elected on a vast reform program, Ben Sulayem, new President of the FIA, gets to the heart of the matter by announcing the upcoming recruitment of a CEO as a key element of his roadmap.

Published on 08/02/2022 à 16:36

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Mohamed Ben Sulayem © DPPI

It is by relying on the creation of three working groups that the new strong man of the FIA intends to modernize the institution. The first is entrusted with the difficult task of selecting a search firm, establishing a budget and a timetable for the recruitment of a CEO whose mission will be to manage the operational affairs of the federation.

At the same time, another group will work on governance in order to identify “the most important issues related to the FIA governance structure, will prioritize efforts to find solutions to these issues and develop roadmaps to resolve them. »

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Finally, the third group will find a third-party auditing firm to identify “the most important issues related to the FIA's financial practices to determine whether changes are necessary. »

The first two working groups will be chaired by the new president of the senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros, and the third will be co-chaired by FIA vice-presidents Robert Reid and Tim Shearman.

Members of both World Councils will sit in each of the three groups, with Fabiana Ecclestone, FIA vice-president, among those chosen to help with the CEO search, and David Richards part of the governance group.

For Ben Sulayem the objective is “the creation of a governance framework based on openness and diversity. A more effective oversight model will be designed, stakeholder priorities will be aligned and cost-effective and accountable operation of the FIA will be ensured. »

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Among other changes within the FIA structure, Felipe Massa moves from presidency of the International Commission of karting CIK at the head of the Drivers Commission, replacing Tom Kristensen who campaigned for Graham Stoker. Massa's replacement at the Karting Commission is the Indian Akbar Ebrahim. Furthermore, Deborah Mayer succeeds Michèle Mouton as president of the Women in Motorsport commission.