Five women appointed to FIA commision leaders in historic WMSC vote
During the recent World Motor Sport Council, members approved the appointments of Pernilla Solberg (Sweden), Emilia Abel (Estonia), Burcu Cetinkaya (Turkey), and Elise Racette (Canada) as either Commission Presidents or Chairpersons, with Natalie McGloin (UK) re-appointed as Chair of the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission.
The new Commission Presidents and Chairs will bring a wealth of experience to their appointments:
The new Commission Presidents and Chairs will bring a wealth of experience to their appointments:
- Burcu Çetinkaya, Chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, is a seven-time Turkish Ladies Rally champion, the winner of the WRC Abu Dhabi Special Award 2010, and the FIA Correspondent for the Turkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu. Alongside these roles, Burcu is also an established presenter, and has hosted programmes on motorsport and the automotive industry for national and international audiences. Burcu has helped to promote motorsport across the world, through educational collaborations with the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports and Red Bull, and through visits to universities in Pakistan.
- Elise Racette, Chair of the FIA Volunteers and Officials Commission, is a three-time Rebelle Rally International Cup Champion, the first General Manager of ASN Canada, and President of the Automobile Club de l'Ile Notre-Dame. As ACIND President, she is responsible for the planning and co-ordination of all volunteers at the Canadian Grand Prix, an event which she has worked on since 2001.
- President of the FIA World Rally Championship Commission Pernilla Solberg is the former Team Principal of Championship-winning team PRSX Volkswagen Sweden. She has also managed a raft of other teams over the course of her career – including PRSX and WRC, and Crosskart, Rallycross and Rally teams. Pernilla was previously a member of the FIA Technical Working Group for Rallycross, and the Rallycross Teams representative in the Off-Road Commission.
- Emilia Abel, President of the FIA Road Sport Committee, is the COC of Ypres Rally and Head of the Estonian Autosport Union Rally Committee. She is a Platinum-grade FIA steward, and has stewarded a raft of World Rally, European Rally and Estonian Rally Championship events. She was the Vice President of the FIA's Closed Road Commission from 2022 to 2023
- Nathalie McGloin has also been re-elected as Chair of the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission. She is the only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world. Nathalie also co-founded and runs a charity for disabled drivers in the UK called Spinal Track, providing track days and other driving experiences in adapted cars free of charge. Nathalie has been president of the Sport Disability and Accessibility Commission since its inauguration in 2018 and is hugely passionate about growing disabled motorsport through the work of the Commission.
Sporting Commission Chairs and Presidents are appointed every other year by the WMSC, on proposal of the President of the FIA. They are responsible for the ongoing development, growth, and management of the sporting disciplines they represent.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “I am delighted to welcome all our new Commission Presidents and Chairpersons to the World Motor Sport Council. The FIA is dedicated to growing the number of women in senior positions within the FIA, and these latest appointments, based on merit and professional credibility, are an important step in our efforts to achieve this.”
Heading into 2024, the FIA will continue to encourage diversity across the board and are building better and more accessible pathways into Motor Sport and Mobility. New measures continue to be introduced including regulatory change across single seater categories, research into discriminatory online abuse through its United Against Online Abuse campaign, and continued investment in grassroots projects like Girls on Track.
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About the World Motor Sport Council
The World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has responsibility for all aspects of international motor sport. It meets at least four times a year to decide on rules, regulations, safety and development of motor sport at every level from karting to Formula One.
The WMSC is made up of the FIA President, the Deputy President for Sport, 7 Vice-Presidents, 14 titular members and 5 members by right. All, with the exception of the FIA President and members by right, must represent a National Sporting Authority (ASN) with at least one event entered on the International Sporting Calendar, and be of different nationalities.
The members by right are the President of the Women in Motor Sport Commission, the President of the International Karting Commission (CIK), the representative of the Commercial Rights Holder of the F1 World Championship, the President of the FIA Manufacturers' Commission and the President of the FIA Driver's Commission.
The WMSC, in its administration of international motor sport, prioritises improvements in safety and environmental standards across all forms of the sport, adopts common regulations across the various series, and nurtures motor sport’s roots by developing all forms of the sport, especially among the young and in developing countries.
About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading mobility organisations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris and Geneva, the FIA is a non-profit organisation. It brings together 243 Member Organisations from 147 countries on five continents.
In Mobility, the FIA strives to ensure safe, clean, affordable and accessible mobility for all global road users through Member services, strategic cooperation, global advocacy initiatives and support to local actions carried out by its Members.
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