Meet new FIS President Johan Eliasch By the President’s Office
On 4th June 2021, a new era started as delegates at the 52nd International Ski Congress, held virtually, elected Johan Eliasch as the fifth president in the history of FIS. Mr Eliasch ran a campaign that promised change. He said his election was a clear indication from delegates that they are ready to embrace change as FIS moves into the future. “I will be engaged, open-minded and transparent and a president that represents all nations and all disciplines, and now let us go to work,” Mr Eliasch said. The dual citizen of Great Britain and Sweden was born in 1962 in Sweden. He spent many years working in the sports manufacturing industry, having previously worked in private equity. Twenty-five years ago, he acquired Austrian sporting goods company HEAD, which subsequently was built into one of the world’s leading private companies. Beyond the sporting world, Mr Eliasch has become a leading expert on solutions to issues caused by climate change, advising the UK Government, among others, on deforestation and clean energy. In 2005, he created the Rainforest Trust, and in 2006, co-founded Cool Earth, a charity sponsoring local non-governmental organisations to conserve endangered rainforests. He has advised British prime ministers and shadow ministers over many years, and is currently president of the political think tank, Global Strategy Forum. Mr Eliasch has many business interests that have allowed him to build a considerable knowledge base. He is chairman of Equity Partners, and the Saatchi Gallery; and a director of Aman Resorts, London Films, the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment, Longleat and Pitch@Palace Global. He is an advisory board member of the
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