FIA president Ben Sulayem launches a restructuring process
New FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has begun a restructuring of motorsport’s governing body and took the decision to search for an FIA Chief Executive Officer.
The newly elected FIA President Ben Sulayem, who took over the role from Jean Todt in December, outlined his plans to reform the organisation when he chaired the World Motor Sport Council and the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism on 3 February.
The governing body stated that “in respect of the commitments already made by the President and the strong will expressed by the FIA Members at the 2021 Annual General Assembly (AGA) last December in Paris, governance topics such as transparency and collaboration were at the heart of these World Councils.”
Following the election of the new World Councils members at the AGA, four additional Senate members have been appointed, guided by the key priorities of ensuring greater diversity and representation of the world’s regions. The new senate member are Faisal Bin Al-Hussein, Monica Mailander, Carlos Slim Domit and Guojun Zhan.
The decision has been taken to undertake “the launch of a new and robust governance process, including a fully independent financial audit of the FIA, and the recruitment of an FIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO).”
Furthermore, the governing body also announced former Williams and McLaren sporting director Sam Michael as the new president of the Safety Commission, replacing Sir Patrick Head.
Former Ferrari race winner Felipe Massa has become the new President of the Drivers’ Commission with Deborah Mayer set to succeed Michele Mouton as the president of the Women in Motorsport Commission.
In the announcement of that move by the FIA, Ben Sulayem said: “A new era has begun for the FIA, through the creation of a governance framework founded on openness and global diversity.
“This is a key pillar of our strategy and I warmly thank the World Councils’ Members, who have approved the changes. Responsibility and authority of World Councils, which emanate from our Members, will be increased.
“A more effective oversight model will be designed, stakeholders’ priorities will be aligned and a responsibly profitable FIA operation will be ensured. To reach these objectives, the Federation’s governing bodies and administration will work closely together to make the FIA the global voice of motor sport and mobility.”
