Vancouver (BC), Canada – Tom McIllfaterick, Chief Executive Officer of Canada~Snowboard, on Wednesday announced his decision to leave his post in December after seven years of service to the governing body of competitive snowboarding in Canada, once his successor is in place.nMcIllfaterick says he’s looking to spend more time with his family and staying active in sport management on a project basis.
“In 2003 I was asked to take the leadership of Canada~Snowboard, and help it grow into an effective organization”, said McIllfaterick. “We have made great strides since then, and the time is now right for me to step aside and ‘pass the torch’ to new leadership. I intend to remain active in sport management on a project basis, but am not prepared to make the four year commitment needed to guide the organization through to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
“I want to give more attention to the other parts of my life,” McIllfaterick explained. “My wife recently had major surgery and that was a reminder to us that if we’re ever going to do those things we’ve always wanted to do, we’d better start doing them.”
When McIllfaterick joined Canada Snowboard in 2003, competitive snowboarding was young and needed strong leadership to develop the solid organizational and policy structures to both grow the sport at the local level and improve results in international competition.
During his tenure at Canada~Snowboard, McIllfaterick, through his mantra of “building capacity,” developed a widely respected Long Term Athlete Development model, implemented skills development competitions, improved programs for training coaches and officials, delivered new governance model, provided international leadership for the development of snowboarding for persons with disabilities, grew sponsorship by over 500%, and increased Canada~Snowboard’s full time staff from two to 12. He also introduced models for event management, sport development, and business development.
“I am exceptionally proud of our National Team athletes and their incredible record of success, culminating in three medals at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” commented McIllfaterick. “But I have to say that I am equally proud of the hundreds of people – coaches, judges, volunteers, professional staff – who quietly but enthusiastically invest their time, energy, and ideas into creating a collective vision of a sport that provides a quality experience to the athlete – whether that’s on the Olympic podium or in the local terrain park. That’s truly what successful sport is all about.”
Michael Gray, Chairperson of the Canada~Snowboard’s Board of Directors, praised McIllfaterick for his many contributions and accomplishments to snowboarding in Canada and beyond. “As CEO of Canada~Snowboard, Tom has been an extremely effective leader, successfully implementing his ambitious vision for the sport’s development. He was instrumental in achieving numerous milestones, from nurturing the programming, coaching and administrative support young development riders need at local hills across Canada, to the celebrated accomplishments of our high performance athletes in international competitions, including at World Championships and the Winter Olympics. On behalf of all members and staff at Canada~Snowboard, I wish to express our appreciation for his excellent work and wish him the best in his future pursuits.”
A search will now begin for his successor, and McIllfaterick will assist in the hiring and transfer of knowledge to the new Chief Executive Officer.