14-12-2011, 11:00 PM
Frik Vermaak announced as new CEO of Athletics South Africa
Athletics South Africaââ¬â¢s (ASA) today announced the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federation as Frik Vermaak.
Vermaakââ¬â¢s experience ensured that he was chosen for the position out of 25 candidates. He has been involved in athletics since 1978 in various capacities, some of which include Race Walking Coach, LOC member of various meetings including the first Soweto Marathon, Team Manager between 1986 and 1999 and also as Chairperson of the South African Athletics Statisticians (SAAS). Vermaak has also been involved in Radio and TV sports commentary for close to 20 years.
Vermaak holds a MBA and attended Harvard Business Schoolââ¬â¢s General Management Program in Boston, USA. Together with this, his Chartered Marketer qualification as senior marketing professional and previous CEO positions at Computershare South Africa and others, gained him the experience that will be extremely valuable to ASA.
In addition to the MBA degree, Vermaak holds a BCom (accounting) and his experience in the banking and financial industry since 1981 has equipped him with a sound background and broad financial knowledge of financial statements, budgets and cash flows that will be of the utmost importance as he streamlines the office.
"The position of CEO of Athletics South Africa (ASA) will be a new challenge for me, but I am confident that I will be able to rise to those challenges and take the Federation to new heights. I am aware that there will be a lot of work to do in these beginning stages and that the next 6 months will be tough. My first priority now is to streamline the ASA office and make sure that everything runs smoothly,ââ¬Å said Vermaak.
Vermaak welcomes Sport Minister, Fikile Mbalulaââ¬â¢s vision for sport development and sport as part of the School Cirriculum.ââ¬Â As Vermaak puts it, it is important that athletics become a family again and support systems must be put in place in order to ensure athletes stay active in the sport, especially female athletes. ââ¬ÅI feel very strongly about development. But I want to stress that development is a big area. There is a need for administrators, coaches and of course athletes. Our second tier athletes are in need of a major focus and in order for us to grow the sport; we need to start at a very young age.ââ¬Â
Athletics South Africa President James Evans welcomed Vermaak and expressed his belief that Vermaak will assist in reviving the fortunes of athletics in the country. ââ¬ÅFrik has immense experience in the sport and in business. He convinced the Board, during an exhaustive process, that he was the correct candidate and we are sure that his appointment will be the first step in the process towards putting athletics back at the top of the sporting pile in South Africa.ââ¬Â
Athletics South Africaââ¬â¢s (ASA) today announced the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federation as Frik Vermaak.
Vermaakââ¬â¢s experience ensured that he was chosen for the position out of 25 candidates. He has been involved in athletics since 1978 in various capacities, some of which include Race Walking Coach, LOC member of various meetings including the first Soweto Marathon, Team Manager between 1986 and 1999 and also as Chairperson of the South African Athletics Statisticians (SAAS). Vermaak has also been involved in Radio and TV sports commentary for close to 20 years.
Vermaak holds a MBA and attended Harvard Business Schoolââ¬â¢s General Management Program in Boston, USA. Together with this, his Chartered Marketer qualification as senior marketing professional and previous CEO positions at Computershare South Africa and others, gained him the experience that will be extremely valuable to ASA.
In addition to the MBA degree, Vermaak holds a BCom (accounting) and his experience in the banking and financial industry since 1981 has equipped him with a sound background and broad financial knowledge of financial statements, budgets and cash flows that will be of the utmost importance as he streamlines the office.
"The position of CEO of Athletics South Africa (ASA) will be a new challenge for me, but I am confident that I will be able to rise to those challenges and take the Federation to new heights. I am aware that there will be a lot of work to do in these beginning stages and that the next 6 months will be tough. My first priority now is to streamline the ASA office and make sure that everything runs smoothly,ââ¬Å said Vermaak.
Vermaak welcomes Sport Minister, Fikile Mbalulaââ¬â¢s vision for sport development and sport as part of the School Cirriculum.ââ¬Â As Vermaak puts it, it is important that athletics become a family again and support systems must be put in place in order to ensure athletes stay active in the sport, especially female athletes. ââ¬ÅI feel very strongly about development. But I want to stress that development is a big area. There is a need for administrators, coaches and of course athletes. Our second tier athletes are in need of a major focus and in order for us to grow the sport; we need to start at a very young age.ââ¬Â
Athletics South Africa President James Evans welcomed Vermaak and expressed his belief that Vermaak will assist in reviving the fortunes of athletics in the country. ââ¬ÅFrik has immense experience in the sport and in business. He convinced the Board, during an exhaustive process, that he was the correct candidate and we are sure that his appointment will be the first step in the process towards putting athletics back at the top of the sporting pile in South Africa.ââ¬Â