THE AISTS WECOMES ITS NEW PRESIDENT
The AISTS is pleased to welcome Prof. Edgar Philippin as the new President of AISTS’ Foundation Council. He has replaced François Bussy as of 1 August 2021, who has held this important position since 2017. Prof. Philippin will guide AISTS on the future path to accomplish its main goal: to further develop AISTS as a centre of excellence in education and research that will strengthen Switzerland’s comparative advantages as an international centre of sports institutions.
As a member of the Swiss bar, Edgar Philippin essentially gives advice to domestic and international companies and organizations, in particular in the fields of corporate governance and commercial transactions, with a focus on hospitality, education and sports. His experience also extends to domestic and international commercial and sports arbitration, mainly as an arbitrator or expert on Swiss law issues. At the University of Lausanne, his main areas of teaching and research are Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Takeovers, as well as General Principles of Private Law.
We have seized the opportunity to ask Prof. Philippin a couple of questions.
Prof. Philippin, AISTS’ mission is to bring a positive contribution to the management of sport through post-graduate and executive education, research and consulting services. How well has the AISTS been doing so far?
“AISTS is really unique in its interdisciplinary delivery of a variety of educational programs provided by first class academic institutions. The involvement and support of the IOC are of course invaluable. Also, the proximity of many other sports organizations in and around Lausanne enables our students and faculty to apply their knowledge in a great number of practical situations. So I would say AISTS is doing quite well, but there is of course no room for complacency. An organization such as ours must always adapt to its rapidly developing environment.”
The sports landscape and its framework are changing in the contexts of globalisation, digitalisation and the pandemic. What challenges must AISTS adapt to in the future, and how can it succeed?
“Technology and IT in sports should be given a greater place in our programs. Our Executive Director and the Scientific Committee have worked very hard on very exciting developments, which we will be presenting soon. Also, if sports has the extraordinary power to contribute to a positive change in our societies, the element of sustainability – already present in our programs – should be given even more weight. The pandemic has of course changed the dynamic of international higher education. We were able to adapt rapidly to distance learning in the Spring of 2020. However, the value of our programs also resides in personal interactions between students, as well as with the faculty and experienced practitioners. While we expect to be able and return to life on campus, we will also keep some of the innovations introduced during the last eighteen months. Last, but not least, we are very proud of our new programs in Mumbai and we hope that we will be able to launch them soon.”
Would you like to address a word of greeting to our MAS participants around the world as the new president of AISTS?
“With new challenges facing sports organizations and many new experiences made in the last 18 months, our program this year will be particularly interesting. A changing world means more responsibilities, and you will see that formal training from world-class teachers will give you the scientific perspective and practical insights that you need to embody fairness, transparency and professionalism in your activities, and be driven by excellence, respect, friendship and equality. I very much look forward to welcoming everyone personally here in Lausanne this fall.”
Mr. Philippin, many thanks for your time. The AISTS team is happy to have you on board.
