Clarence Seedorf
Born April 1, 1976 in Suriname, Clarence Seedorf is the most successful footballer in Dutch history and one of the most talented players in football history.
Clarence Seedorf also coached on four continents (South America, Europe, Asia, Africa). Seedorf is one of only six people in the world to have been chosen by Nelson Mandela to be a Legacy Champion.
He is UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity & Change and a member of the FIFA Diversity Award Jury.
Clarence Seedorf holds an honorary degree in humanities along with the highest civil decorations in Suriname and the Netherlands for his contributions to different fields in both countries. He founded the Champions for Children Foundation in 2004 contributing financially to many projects globally and developing a specific IP to create social impact through sport.
Throughout his career, Clarence Seedorf has used sport and its influence to promote change and create a better world. Seedorf speaks six languages, completed his education in business, sports psychology and NLP with prestigious courses, becoming also assistant professor in sports science at Catholic University in Milan.
Clarence Seedorf has been a blogger for the New York Times and travels the world inspiring the next generations, from youth jails in Brazil to students at Oxford University.
Seedorf is currently the Chairman of Black Impact Foundation, a member of the support committee of Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, which promotes scientific research, and a member of the strategic committee of the UN Science Panel for the Amazon.
Dr. Wladimir Klitschko
Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, born on 25 March 1976 in Kazakhstan, is a Ukrainian former professional boxer and an entrepreneur.
Wladimir Klitschko is not only the combined longest reigning heavyweight boxing champion of all time; he has always seen himself as an entrepreneur. In 2003, he and his brother Vitali started their own business and founded the boxing promotion company K2 Promotions. He also founded the Klitschko Management Group, a sports marketing agency and the Klitschko Foundation, which aims to help children to discover their potential and bring their dreams to life. The foundation has helped more than one million children so far. Together with the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, he set up the CAS Change and Innovation Management programme and the Competence Center for Intrapreneurship. In 2018, he laid the foundations for spreading his F.A.C.E. the Challenge method in the English-speaking part of the world with the start of cooperation with Harvard Business School.
In 2016, he founded KLITSCHKO Ventures, dedicated to building and maintaining a comprehensive, strategic partner network.
Wladimir Klitschko, who earned his PhD in 2001, sees himself as a pioneer transferring his knowledge and experience from over 25 years as a professional athlete to different areas of life.
Wladimir Klitshchko has been a member of the board of trustees of the UEFA Foundation for Children since 29 November 2018.
Snežana Samardžić-Marković
Ms Snežana Samardžić-Marković is the Director General of Democracy at the Council of Europe since 2002. Under her responsibility, the Directorate General works to help our member states in creating a favourable environment for sustainable democracy and democratic security in Europe.
Three directorates and eight partial agreements under her responsibility are providing guidance, assistance and innovation in the areas of democratic governance, participation and diversity. Her responsibilities include the policy areas of education and youth, local democracy, cultural policies, election assistance, the protection of human dignity, gender equality, children’s rights, and the rights of minorities, work against discrimination, democratic citizenship and democratic responses to crisis situations.
Previously, Ms Samardžić-Marković has held numerous positions in the Serbian Government including as Deputy Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Neighbouring Countries; Assistant Minister of Defence (2005-2007) and Co-President of the Serbia-NATO Defence Reform Group; member of the Foundation Board of WADA, Minister of Youth and Sports (2007-2012) and President of the Fund for Young Talents.
Greg Clarke
Greg Clarke was born in Leicester (England) in 1957 and is married with four adult children.
Over the last 40 years, Greg has worked for and led a variety of blue chip asset-intensive corporations, including group chief executive roles at a FTSE 100 company and an ASX 50 corporation in Sydney. Since 1995 he has held non-executive director positions at various major international organisations, and since 2010 he has chaired various companies and organisations within the plc, sports and government sectors. His career has revolved around planning and delivering multi-billion pound projects with an emphasis on safety and punctual delivery.
From 2010 to 2016, Greg was chairman of the English Football League, before being appointed chairman of The Football Association in September 2016. Prior to that, he was also a director and chairman of Leicester City FC. He has been heavily involved in various initiatives seeking to use the power of football to deliver social change, including (i) acting as an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, the English Football League’s official charity partner, (ii) leading the football community’s fundraising initiative to support survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster, in partnership with Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC (raising £1.5m), and (iii) personally supporting the work of charitable trusts associated with England’s professional clubs.
Aleksander Čeferin
Aleksander Čeferin, born in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on 13 October 1967, is married with three children.
A graduate of Ljubljana University's law faculty, Aleksander Čeferin went on to work for his family's law firm, and developed a special interest in representing professional athletes and sports clubs. He later took over from his father as company director.
He first took a formal interest in local football in 2005 through his work with the executive board of KMN Svea Lesna Litija, one of Slovenia's most successful futsal clubs. A member of the executive committee of amateur side FC Ljubljana Lawyers since 2005, he served as a member at NK Olimpija Ljubljana from 2006-11.
In 2011, Aleksander Čeferin was elected as Football Association of Slovenia president. He also served as a second and third vice-chairman of the UEFA Legal Committee from 2011 to 2016.
Aleksander Čeferin was elected as UEFA's seventh president at the 12th Extraordinary UEFA Congress in Athens in September 2016, and automatically became a vice-president of the world body FIFA.
He came into office with a clear vision for the future, which focussed on the further protection, promotion and development of European football, putting the game first and safeguarding its interests. He pledged to work for unity and dialogue among the European football community. He has also underlined that UEFA must be a “social fair play” body which promotes respect, diversity and inclusion, and shows no tolerance for racism, sexism, homophobia or any form of discrimination.
On November 22, 2017, Aleksander Čeferin, was elected as the new chairman of the UEFA Foundation for Children at the board of trustees’ meeting held at the UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
At the 43rd Ordinary UEFA Congress, held on February 7, 2019 in Rome, Italy, he was unanimously re-elected as UEFA President for the period 2019-23.
Kairat Boranbayev
Kairat Boranbayev, born on 22 September 1966, is a Kazakh businessman and president of FC Kairat Almaty.
He graduated from the Kazakh State Institute of Physical Culture in 1989, and began his career working as a physical education teacher. He then went on to obtain a master’s in law and a doctorate in pedagogy from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University .
From 1993 to 2000 he worked in various management positions within government and businesses in Kazakhstan.
Between 2000 and 2009 he held an equally diverse range of positions. In 2000, he was appointed executive director of KazTransGas, of which he became deputy director general for external economic relations in April 2002. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2002, he was commercial director of Intergas Central Asia.
In 2006, he was appointed chairman of the board of KazRosGas, a business which processes and transports natural gas sourced in Kazakhstan.
He then expanded the scope of his work by getting involved in social activities and promoting healthy lifestyles throughout Kazakhstan, as a result of which he was elected president of the Kostanai Boxing Federation in April 2009.
He became chairman of the supervisory committee of FC Kairat Almaty in 2012 and two years later was appointed CEO of the Almaly asset management company.
In 2015 Mr Boranbayev was appointed as the President of National Paralympic Committee of Kazakhstan.
Kairat Boranbayev has been the 2nd Vice-Chairman of the Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee since July 2017, and a member of the board of trustees of the UEFA Foundation for Children since 22 November 2017.
Esther Gascón Carbajosa
Esther Gascón was born in Bilbao, a northern Spanish city with a long football tradition. After graduating in law at the University of Deusto in 1994, she completed further studies in sports protocol at the International Protocol School of the Complutense University of Madrid and obtained a master’s degree in sports law from the University of Lleida.
In 1997, she joined the legal department of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), where she was appointed head of protocol. She also managed the office of the RFEF general secretariat before being named director of external relations. She was also part of the RFEF delegations at the UEFA European Football Championships between 2004 and 2016, and at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
Esther Gascón Carbajosa was appointed RFEF director general in 2014 and general secretary in 2016.
She began a renewable four-year term as a member of the UEFA Foundation for Children’s board of trustees on 24 May 2017.
Nathalie Iannetta Sabattier
Born near Paris, France, on 15 May 1972.
Nathalie Iannetta grew up near Paris in a family of Italian immigrants with a keen interest in football. The daughter of a goalkeeper, she quickly developed the same passion for football as her father, grandfathers and uncles. It was no surprise that a girl brought up in such a family should fall in love with the beautiful game, but it was more unusual in French society at the time, where football was very much a man’s game.
Her passion never faded. After studying history and political sciences, followed by two years as an editor at Canal+, the largest pay-TV provider in France and Europe, in 1997 the Canal+ sports department invited her to work on its coverage of the Ligue 1 championship and the forthcoming World Cup, which France was to host in 1998.
Her arrival in an all-male department was seen as a minor revolution in the world of sport on French TV. As well as Ligue 1 matchnights, it was not long before her sports department bosses assigned her to the channel’s flagship programme dedicated to the UEFA club competitions.
Nathalie worked as a sports journalist for 19 years, always for Canal+, before leaving in June 2014 to become special advisor to the French president, François Hollande, on matters relating to sport, engagement, youth and community life. Her duties included coordinating the state authorities’ cooperation with UEFA in relation to the organisation of UEFA EURO 2016 in France.
In the light of that experience, in October 2016 UEFA invited her to become chief advisor to the executive office on social responsibility and relations with the European Commissionm, a position she held until 2018.
Nathalie Iannetta joined the UEFA Foundation for Children’s board of trustees on 24 May 2017. As a partner in a communication company she now splits her time between Nyon and Paris, where her husband and two children live.
Fiona May
Fiona May, born on 12 December 1969 in Slough, England, is a retired Italian champion long jumper who holds 11 medals, including 3 world championship titles, and 2 Olympic silver medals.
Fiona took up athletics at the age of 12 thanks to her Physical Education teacher and coach and went on to become one of the youngest athletes in the British team at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.
After studying economics and business management administration, Fiona moved to Italy, married an Italian athlete and ended up competing for Italy, where she still holds the national long-jump record.
From 2013 to 2017, she was a member of the Italian Olympic Committee as an athlete representative. In 2014 the president of the Italian Football Federation appointed her as head of the federation’s integration commission. She is also head of delegation of the Italian women’s Under-19 team.
Fiona May has been a member of the board of trustees of the UEFA Foundation for Children since 24 May 2017. She is also studying for an Executive Master in Sport Governance (MESGO).
Dominique Blanc
Dominique Blanc, president of the Swiss Football Association (SFA), was born on 5 December 1949.
His studies culminated in the award of a federal diploma in sales, and he then spent eight years teaching at university and 17 years as a federal expert, before leaving academia for the world of commerce.
After working for various Swiss firms as CEO and export director for France and Spain, he struck out on his own in the construction materials sector.
Dominique Blanc has an extensive knowledge of Swiss football. Having played the game in his youth, he then climbed the ranks in the world of refereeing, reaching the First League.
In 1981, he became an inspector and a referee instructor at the SFA. After eight years at the head of the Vaud Cantonal Football Association (from 2007 to 2015), he became president of the SFA’s Amateur League.
Norman Darmanin Demajo
Norman Darmanin Demajo, born in Naxxar (Malta), on 19 April 1952, is married with three children.
He studied accountancy and business management in his home country and at the London School of Accountancy.
He is the owner and managing director of NDD Ltd, management consultancy firm based in Swieqi (Malta) and of various other companies. In 2002 he added Luxol Sport Club Ltd to his portfolio – a sports management company and sports complex.
In 2002 Norman Darmanin Demajo also became a founder member and trustee of the Time2Think Organisation, a charitable foundation that brings together independent trainers, speakers and consultants who are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and personal experience to promote creativity, awareness, innovation, competitiveness and productivity.
Active in football since 1968, Norman Darmanin Demajo won three league titles and three Maltese Cups during a nine-year spell at Valletta FC, from 1973 to 1982. An amateur international, he also represented his country in 1975/76. He hung up his boots in 1990 at the age of 38 after a spell with St Andrew's FC.
A council member of the Malta Football Association (MFA) from 1988, he was also president of the MFA from 2010 to 2019.
Since July 2019 he has been the 1st Vice-Chairman of the Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee.
José Manuel Durão Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso, born in 1956, was president of the European Commission (2004-14), prime minister of portugal (2002-04), minister of foreign affairs of Portugal (1992-95), state secretary for foreign affairs and cooperation (1987-92) and state secretary at the ministry of home affairs (1985-87).
He graduated in law from the University of Lisbon, completed a diploma in European studies at the European University Institute, University of Geneva, and a master’s degree in political science at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Geneva.
He was a teaching assistant at the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon, in the Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, and visiting professor at the Department of Government and School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). He was also head of the International Relations Department of Lusíada University, Lisbon. He was one of the founders of AUROP, the Portuguese University Association for European Studies.
He is the author of numerous publications on political science, international relations and European studies. He has been distinguished with many state honours, including the Great Collar of the Order of Infante D. Henrique and the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ from Portugal.
He is currently visiting professor of international economic policy at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.
He is also visiting professor at the Catholic University of Portugal, in Lisbon, and visiting professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and at the University of Geneva.
Dr Sándor Csányi
Dr Sándor Csányi (born 20 March 1953) – he is married and has five children.
Sándor Csányi specialised in finance at university, where he was awarded a doctorate. He later become a chartered accountant, he has held various positions in institutions of the Hungarian government. Since 1992 he has been chairman and chief executive officer of OTP Bank plc.
In 2005 Sándor Csányi used his own private wealth to set up the Csányi Foundation for Children supports about 270 selected children, helping them with their education from the age of 10 until they graduate from university.
He is also chairman of the board of the Prima Primissima Foundation. The foundation’s annual awards – which are presented in a number of categories, including sport, fine art, literature, film and theatre, science, education, architecture, press, folk art, public education and music – are some of Hungary’s most prestigious and coveted prizes.
Since 1995 he has been vice-president of the International Children’s Safety Service, one of Hungary’s most important charitable NGOs, which seeks to improve the welfare and future prospects of children with physical and learning disabilities, as well as orphans and other disadvantaged children.
In July 2010 Sándor Csányi was elected president of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) with almost 100% of the delegates’ votes. Since 2013 he has been first vice-chairman of UEFA’s National Associations Committee.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus – born in St Petersburg, she now resides in Switzerland with her three boys and two daughters.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus spent her childhood in Russia. She graduated with a diploma in accounting from the St-Petersburg School of Commerce in 1981 and held a number of positions in accountancy, sales and marketing.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus was married to the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus from 1992 until his death in 2009.
Chairperson of the supervisory board of Louis Dreyfus Holding B.V. since March 2011 and on this board since September 2007, Margarita has also been a member of the supervisory board of Louis Dreyfus Commodities Holdings B.V. since April 2011 and was appointed deputy chairperson of this company in 2013.
Margarita is the founder and president of the Paris-based Louis Dreyfus Foundation. The foundation aims to help reduce hunger and poverty by providing sustainable solutions to small farmers.