Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) following the FIA’s Annual General Assembly in Paris, France. He received 61.62% of the votes from FIA Member Clubs with the UK’s Graham Stoker receiving 36.62%, with 1.76% of votes abstaining. Ben Sulayem succeeds Frenchman Jean Todt, who has been president since 2009 and served the maximum three terms allowed under the FIA’s rules.
Ben Sulayem hails from the United Arab Emirates and has been president of the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO) since 2005, as well as acting as FIA World Motor Sport Council vice president for the Middle East. A former rally driver, he was 14-time FIA Middle East Rally Champion, winning 61 international events from 1983 to 2002. He campaigned under the banner “FIA for Members”, committing to double motor sport participation worldwide, strengthen diversity and inclusion and be a leading opinion-former on sustainable mobility.
Elected for a four-year term, he has appointed Carmelo Sanz de Barros as president of the Senate, Robert Reid as deputy president for sport and Tim Shearman as deputy president for mobility.
Ben Sulayem commented, “I am very honored to have been elected FIA President at the conclusion of the Annual General Assembly in Paris today. I thank all the member clubs for their esteem and trust. I congratulate Graham for his campaign and his engagement to the Federation. I wish to express my infinite gratitude in the name of the FIA and that of its members to Jean Todt for all that has been achieved over the past 12 years. I am committed to pursuing the important work and make motorsport and mobility take further steps forward.”
