The FIM announces the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer in the person of Mr Steve Aeschlimann.

In accordance with the succession plan inspired by the FIM Strategic Plan and the objective of modernising the Federation, Mr Aeschlimann succeeds Mr Ignacio Verneda at the head of the FIM Administration.

Mr Aeschlimann, who is 45 years old, joined the FIM as a member of the Senior Management in February 2011. Since then, he has occupied the role of Executive Director, Operations, supervising several commissions and the FIM’s institutional services.

Fluent in several languages, the new FIM CEO holds degrees from a number of universities in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has considerable management experience within international organisations and was a Director at the European Football Union (UEFA) before joining the FIM. His passion for sport revealed itself at an early age through his activities as an athlete, a sports journalist and a club official.

Speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors, the FIM President Vito Ippolito said: “The appointment of Mr Aeschlimann is part of a plan drawn up by the FIM Board several years ago. We are delighted to be able to benefit from the competences of Mr Aeschlimann in his new position and are convinced that he will bring new expertise and ideas for the further implementation of the Strategic Plan and the modernisation of the FIM.”

The new FIM CEO Steve Aeschlimann said: “It is a great honour to be able to serve the FIM in this new role. There are so many fantastic projects to be piloted to develop motorcycling throughout the world in collaboration with our 113 national federations and our Continental Unions and in order to better support them, in the field of sport, of course, but also in relation to our numerous beyond sporting activities, especially the defence of the interests of motorcyclists.”

The FIM would like to thank Mr Verneda most warmly for the significant contribution he has made to international motorcycling sport over the three decades he spent at the service of the Federation, as a volunteer initially, then as Sports Director and latterly as Chief Executive Officer, a role that crowned a rich career devoted to motorcycling.