FIM Chief Executive Officer Guy Maitre announced today the appointment of Ignacio Verneda for the position of Sports Director, within the Executive Secretariat. Of Spanish nationality, born in 1953, Ignacio Verneda has an extensive knowledge of the motorcycle world thanks to the posts he has occupied successively in the FIM as well as in the Spanish Federation (RFME) where he has been Technical Director for the last 12 years, a job from which he resigned last December. Ignacio Verneda will assume the responsibility of heading the Sports Coordinators as well as coordinating all activities in relation to the protagonists of our sport, namely the Sporting Commissions, FMNs, riders, teams, promoters, industry and press. Ignacio Verneda said: “I am very proud of this appointment which is a new professional challenge for me, and I hope to be able to match the confidence the FIM is putting in me”. Whilst keeping a residence in Barcelona, Ignacio Verneda will live in Switzerland and will be working at the FIM Headquarters in Mies where he will take up his duties on 1st February. He shall maintain his function as President of the Trial Commission. Guy Maitre said: “I am convinced that Ignacio Verneda’s vast experience as well as his human and professional qualities will be very useful to the FIM. He is particularly qualified to help me and discharge me of various tasks within the Executive Secretariat”. Moreover, in order to replace the Financial Director Jean-Pierre Moser, who is leaving his position after 10 years of good and loyal service in order to take over the post of Director of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s European Office for International Federations, Guy Maitre appointed as of February 1st Mrs Lucile Ackaouy for the position of Finance and Accounting Manager and Mrs Françoise Vialle for the position of Financial Administration Manager. Mrs Ackaouy and Vialle were occupying until now the functions of Chief Accountant and Assistant to the Financial Director respectively. Guy Maitre said: “At the moment when the FIM has decided to open more widely its activities to women, I am particularly satisfied by these two internal promotions in order to match the challenge of taking over the functions left by the resignation of Jean-Pierre Moser.”