ITF Board appoints Vice Presidents for 2023-2027
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) Board of Directors has unanimously appointed four Vice Presidents to serve the 2023-27 term following its meeting in Malaga in November. The elections for the current Board of Directors were held at the ITF annual general meeting in Cancun, Mexico in September.
Bulat Utemuratov (Kazakhstan) is re-appointed as Vice President, having also served in the role for the 2019-23 term. He is joined by Brian Hainline (USA), Salma Mouelhi Guizani (Tunisia) and Rafael Westrupp (Brazil). All four ITF Vice Presidents also serve as Presidents of their national tennis federations.
Following the elections in Cancun in September, the ITF Board also re-appointed Mary Pierce and Mark Woodforde as the Athlete Board representatives for the 2023-27 term.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “All four senior leaders bring expertise to the ITF Board. Bulat and Salma bring continuity and experience from their previous years on the Board of Directors. Brian and Rafael, as newly elected members, bring additional knowledge from different parts of our global tennis family. These four individuals will assist me as President in implementing our ITF2024+4 strategy and continuing the transformation of tennis.”
The ITF has also announced the composition of the ITF committees and commissions for 2024-25. More than 230 representatives from 68 nations have been appointed to serve on a range of ITF committees, commissions and taskforces that assist the ITF and its Board of Directors across key areas of the sport. The duties of each committee and commission are derived from the ITF constitution and members fulfil their duties across the ITF’s core pillars for governance, sport and participation in a manner consistent with the ITF values of good governance, integrity, inclusiveness, innovation and collaboration.
Committee members include representatives of the ITF Board, national association members, and selected individuals with specific areas of expertise, all of whom give their time on a voluntary basis. In the 2024-2025 appointments a record 35% are held by women an increase of 7.4% in the previous cycle of appointments.
Haggerty added: “The 2024-2025 term will be important for the ITF as we progress the ITF2024+4 strategic priorities, continue with our governance reform, and drive towards a significant increase in tennis participation. Committees play a vital role, the majority of members are volunteers, providing their expertise and essential resources to achieve our goals and meet the challenges ahead.
“Gender balance is not yet fully reflected in leadership roles at the highest levels which remains a priority for the ITF through its Advantage All programme. We remain committed to encouraging our national and regional associations to continue to increase diversity on their boards and committees so that our future pool of talented leaders represents the global diversity and footprint of tennis. In the 2026 committee cycle we will achieve our target of a minimum 40% female gender representation."
Click here for the full list of ITF committee and commission members