The 60-year-old president was elected following reforms at the top body, and expressed his desire to carry out a new project at the helm of the FIA, as well as a full financial audit.
Hiring a CEO is key to Ben Sulayem’s roadmap, and his plans were discussed at the FIA ‘s annual meeting last December. All topics were taken up again at the meetings of the World Motor Sport Council and the World Council for Motor Mobility and Tourism , the first under his mandate.
The Saudi took advantage of Thursday’s sessions to fulfill his promise to modernize the organization, confirming the creation of three working groups. According to the FIA , the General Managers Recruitment Working Group has been formed “to assist the presidential team in determining the key attributes that the person tasked with managing the operational affairs of the federation should have”.
This pool of individuals will serve to “select an executive search, which will establish a budget and timetable for hiring the CEO, and recommend a list of candidates to the World Councils and the Senate.”
In addition, the governance review working group will select a third-party consultant and will subsequently “identify the most significant issues associated with the FIA’s governance structure, prioritize efforts to further remedy these challenges and develop plans to address such setbacks.
Finally, a financial review team will select another external party, who will “name the most pressing issues associated with the FIA’s economic practices to determine if any changes are necessary.”
The first two working groups will be chaired by the new member at the head of the Senate, Carmelo Sanz de Barros , and the third will be jointly managed by the FIA vice presidents, Robert Reid and Tim Shearman .
Members of both World Councils will be part of each of the groups, with the vice president of the highest body, Fabiana Ecclestone , among those chosen to help in the search for a director general.
“A new era has begun for the FIA by creating a governance framework based on openness and global diversity,” said Ben Sulayem. “This is a key pillar in our strategy, and I thank the members of the World Councils for the changes approved.”
“The responsibility and authority of the two councils, emanating from our members, will be increased. A more effective supervisory model will be designed, stakeholders will be aligned and a financially responsible functioning of the FIA will be ensured,” the president said.
“To achieve these objectives, the governing bodies and the administration of the federation will collaborate closely to make the FIA the global voice of motorsport and mobility,” he concluded.
