FIH Director for People, Governance and Operations, Melanie Willmore, presented details of the FIH’s gender equality policy and the Election Oversight Panel at a Governance Workshop organised by ASOIF this week in Lausanne. The event, attended by more than 50 representatives from International Federations (IFs), featured interesting IF case studies of recent governance reforms and lively panel discussions focused on best practice.
During the panel discussion on best practice in the area of democracy, Melanie spoke about the National Associations’ decision at the last Congress to change the gender structure of the Board, which sees four men and four women now represented as Ordinary Board Members. Currently, the FIH’s 16 person Executive Board features seven women and nine men as FIH continues to ensure women have greater influence in hockey at all levels of the sport. She also explained the structure and functioning of FIH’s Election Oversight Panel, which has been in place since 2013, which is composed of independent experts. The Panel functions independently from the Executive Board and has investigative powers.
The Workshop followed-up on the first governance review of all 28 ASOIF member International Federations (IFs), published in April this year and subsequent individual meetings with the IFs to review their respective governance assessments.
ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said during his opening remarks: “Today’s event forms part of a long-term process we have initiated to improve governance within IF structures. It is an opportunity to learn from each other, assess progress and address remaining challenges. We will also discuss next steps, which include the possible creation of a dedicated monitoring body, especially in regard to the enforcement of certain standards and the financial analysis of IFs.”
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