The International Canoe Federation has unveiled a new staff structure designed to increase support for national and continental federations, further enhance the success of its extensive international event series and maximise the opportunities for the global growth of paddle sport.
The new structure is in line with the congress approved Fit For Future strategy which outlines the path forward for the growth of global paddle sport and to continue to meet and exceed the standards expected of an international sports federation.
At the heart of the new structure are four key focus areas - Operations and Finance, Growth and Communications, Stakeholder Relations and Sustainable Development, and International Events. A fifth area, International Relations and Digital Services, will be added in 2024.
“I am excited to confirm the new structure and thank the ICF Executive Committee and Board of Directors for their support and guidance throughout the restructure process,” ICF Secretary General, Richard Pettit, said.
“We have traditionally been exceptionally event focused, this new structure allows us to build and strengthen our event programme; whilst also placing an emphasis on supporting our members to connect and engage with the millions of people actively participating in our sport.”
As part of the new structure, the ICF has further strengthened its leadership team with the recruitment of two experienced professionals, Balint Vekassy and Stuart Roach.
"I am delighted to welcome Balint and Stuart to our leadership team. Their respective experience will help us to further professionalise our services and build a stronger future for the sport,” Pettit said.
“We have been fortunate to identify further additional new staff who I am confident will play key roles in taking the ICF forward."
New Staff Members
Balint Vekassy, a familiar face to many members of the international canoe family, joins the ICF to take on a leadership role in event management. Balint has most recently worked as Secretary General of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, but has a long association with paddle sport. Fellow Hungarian David Bugar joins the event team and will support Balint in further professionalising the ICF's extensive events programme.
Stuart Roach joined the ICF at the beginning of the year as Global Director, Growth and Communications. Stuart brings to the role a wealth of experience having worked at the BBC, BT Sport, Olympic Broadcasting Services, Formula One and the Olympic Channel. His primary focus for the ICF will be to drive revenue growth and expand global reach across broadcast and digital.
Guang Yang (Nicholas) joins from the Chinese Canoe Federation to take up the position of Global Lead, International Relations and Distribution. He will support the TV distribution and partnership programme with a particular focus on the Asian market.
Marion Dannaoui will be joining the team in March as Executive Office Manager. Having worked for the International Olympic Committee over 10 years and supported leadership at Nestle and a number of other multinational companies Marion brings extensive administrative experience and will strengthen the direct support to the membership as well as lead administration services.
"This is the start of an exciting new era for the ICF and I look forward to continuing to increase the popularity of our sport as we move into an important year of Olympic qualification," Pettit said.
The new staff structure can be viewed here. The ICF’s Fit For Future strategy can be found here.
