WorldSkills welcomes four new Board members

Francis Hourant from WorldSkills Belgium was confirmed as the new President and Chair of the Board, serving up to two four-year terms. Francis is well-known to Members, having been CEO of WorldSkills Belgium for the last 15 years. In that time, he grew the organization from 200 Competitors in 19 skills, to almost 900 Competitors in 32 skills. Under his leadership, the WorldSkills Belgium national event has become the biggest skills promotion event in Belgium.

With experience as a Technical Delegate, an Official Delegate, and a Board member of WorldSkills Europe, Francis has a deep understanding of WorldSkills, its operations and its ethos. He has also actively supported the development of skills in Africa since 2019 by supporting the development and membership of new Member WorldSkills DRCongo. He has also supported the development of competitions in Burundi since 2022.

In his acceptance speech, he said, “When you hear the word Red Cross, anywhere in the world, you know it means humanitarian aid. So when the name WorldSkills is mentioned, everyone should know we are talking about excellence in skills. We need to measure our impact better, we need to work even more closely together, and we need to have more Members.”

He concluded, “My motto in life is ‘there are no problems, only solutions’. To me, being President and Chair of WorldSkills means listening to Members and Partners, facilitating debates, working closely with the Secretariat, and being the voice of WorldSkills within the organization and to the outside world.”

He will be joined by Brigitte Collins who becomes the newest Board member for Competitions. Brigitte is the General Manager for WorldSkills Australia and has been in the role of Technical Delegate since 2012 and Competitions Committee Lead since 2014.

New roles also went to Alejandro Weinstein from WorldSkills Chile and Ray English from WorldSkills Ireland who have become the two new Board members for Strategic Development. Alejandro has been a member of the Board of WorldSkills Chile and Treasurer since its creation ten years ago. Ray is currently Chair of WorldSkills Ireland Advisory Council, Technical Delegate for National Competitions and Technical Delegate for WorldSkills, and has been Official Delegate in the past.

The WorldSkills Board, comprising eight members, provides vital governance, guidance, and continuity to the organization. They will also continue to raise the profile of skills and WorldSkills among Member countries and regions, advocate for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at a government and at an international level, attend key skills events and summits, and lead the WorldSkills General Assembly along with Strategic Development and Competition Committees.

The WorldSkills Board is now as follows:

• Francis Hourant, President and Chair of the Board
• Alexander Erdmann, Treasurer
• Brigitte Collins, Board member — Competitions
• Michael Fung, Board member — Competitions
• San-Quei Lin, Board member — Strategic Development
• Heng Guan Teck, Board member — Strategic Development
• Ray English, Board member — Strategic Development
• Alejandro Weinstein, Board member — Strategic Development

Learn more about the WorldSkills Board and their responsibilities.