The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has announced today that Jean-Frédéric Thomas has been appointed to the role of Chief Financial Officer.  

Jean-Frédéric will take up his position on 1 February 2026 and will be responsible for financial governance, budgeting, risk management, and long-term financial planning across the organisation’s global operations.

Jean-Frédéric will report to General Manager, Alberto Villarreal, and will be based in the FIA’s Geneva office. He joins from the M3 Group in Geneva where he served as Group CFO, and brings more than 25 years’ experience in senior financial leadership roles across a range of international organisations. 

Prior to his last role,  Jean-Frédéric spent over 15 years at Cotecna, the global provider of testing, inspection and certification services, rising to Group CFO after senior roles in financial control and regional finance. Jean-Frédéric also spent parts of his career in advisory and audit at PwC in Geneva and Luxembourg, and at Arthur Andersen/BearingPoint in Paris. He holds a Master/DESS in Finance and Banking from the University of Nice–Sophia Antipolis and a Master in Finance from EDHEC Business School.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “We are delighted to welcome Jean-Frédéric to the FIA at a moment when we have restored strong financial stability after years of losses. His extensive financial leadership across large international organisations will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our governance and modernise our operations worldwide.”

Jean-Frédéric Thomas said: “I am honoured to be joining the FIA at a time of renewed financial strength and ambition. I look forward to contributing to its mission and helping to drive the next phase of its financial and operational development.”

Alberto Villarreal, General Manager at the FIA, said: “Jean-Frédéric will be a valuable asset to our senior leadership team, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. I look forward to working with him as we continue to drive our organisation-wide transformation at the FIA.”