Matti Nurminen will be the IIHF's next General Secretary
The IIHF has announced that Matti Nurminen will become the federation’s next General Secretary. He will assume his new duties with the IIHF starting in summer 2022.
Nurminen was selected out of a pool of 36 applicants for the position and will succeed IIHF Interim General Secretary Gion Veraguth. He is expected to begin his IIHF duties in summer 2022, following the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship that will be held in his home country in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland.
In accordance with the IIHF Statutes and Bylaws, the IIHF General Secretary acts as the Chief Executive Officer of the IIHF, managing the day-to-day operation of the IIHF. The General Secretary also sits on the IIHF Council as a non-voting member.
“Matti Nurminen was a natural choice to assume the position of General Secretary at the IIHF,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif. “He brings to the table decades of ice hockey experience and an excellent reputation within the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and among the IIHF membership. Matti is a consummate professional who will be a strong addition to the IIHF office operations in Zurich, and on behalf of the IIHF Council I would like to wish him good luck with his new tasks.”
“I would naturally like to thank President Tardif and the IIHF Council for choosing me to this important position,” said Nurminen. “I feel extremely privileged and honoured for the opportunity to become a part of the international ice hockey family, and I look forward to working together with the Council, the IIHF Staff, the Member National Associations and all the other stakeholders within the ice hockey community to grow our beloved sport globally.”
Born on 9 January 1973 in Helsinki, Finland, Nurminen studied at the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, graduating with a Master of Science degree in Economics on 1998.
He has been actively involved in sport throughout much of his personal and professional life. He has served for several years in multiple boards of the Finnish Olympic Committee and has been a Board Member of the Finnish Hockey League since 2010.
Nurminen was selected out of a pool of 36 applicants for the position and will succeed IIHF Interim General Secretary Gion Veraguth. He is expected to begin his IIHF duties in summer 2022, following the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship that will be held in his home country in Tampere and Helsinki, Finland.
In accordance with the IIHF Statutes and Bylaws, the IIHF General Secretary acts as the Chief Executive Officer of the IIHF, managing the day-to-day operation of the IIHF. The General Secretary also sits on the IIHF Council as a non-voting member.
“Matti Nurminen was a natural choice to assume the position of General Secretary at the IIHF,” said IIHF President Luc Tardif. “He brings to the table decades of ice hockey experience and an excellent reputation within the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and among the IIHF membership. Matti is a consummate professional who will be a strong addition to the IIHF office operations in Zurich, and on behalf of the IIHF Council I would like to wish him good luck with his new tasks.”
“I would naturally like to thank President Tardif and the IIHF Council for choosing me to this important position,” said Nurminen. “I feel extremely privileged and honoured for the opportunity to become a part of the international ice hockey family, and I look forward to working together with the Council, the IIHF Staff, the Member National Associations and all the other stakeholders within the ice hockey community to grow our beloved sport globally.”
Born on 9 January 1973 in Helsinki, Finland, Nurminen studied at the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, graduating with a Master of Science degree in Economics on 1998.
He has been actively involved in sport throughout much of his personal and professional life. He has served for several years in multiple boards of the Finnish Olympic Committee and has been a Board Member of the Finnish Hockey League since 2010.
Nurminen was CEO of the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Organizing Committee.
photo: Richard Wolowicz / HHOF-IIHF Images
Nurminen brings extensive international ice hockey experience. His association with the IIHF initially grew through his work with several organizing committees of various IIHF World Championship tournament, including the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, the 2004 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2003, 2013, and 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. In 2012 Nurminen was also selected to serve as a member of the IIHF Competition Committee, a position he has held ever since.
In 2010, Nurminen became CEO of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, responsible for all FIHA organizations and activities. Under his leadership the FIHA took significant strides forward and set new organization standards for budget, sponsorship, and on-ice success.
With Nurminen as CEO, Finnish ice hockey collected a total of 17 IIHF World Championship medals, crossing all age categories. Nurminen also oversaw three Olympic bronze medals from the Finnish national women’s team, as well as the first-ever Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games to go with bronze in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.
In 2010, Nurminen became CEO of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, responsible for all FIHA organizations and activities. Under his leadership the FIHA took significant strides forward and set new organization standards for budget, sponsorship, and on-ice success.
With Nurminen as CEO, Finnish ice hockey collected a total of 17 IIHF World Championship medals, crossing all age categories. Nurminen also oversaw three Olympic bronze medals from the Finnish national women’s team, as well as the first-ever Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games to go with bronze in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.
Nurminen greeting Finland head coach Jukka Jalonen at the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: FIHA
Nurminen has also been closely involved as a board member for the Vierumäki Sport Institute in Finland, which has played host to the annual IIHF Development and High Performance Camps.
The IIHF General Secretary is responsible for the implementation of the operation, development and promotion of international ice hockey, including but not limited to:
A complete overview of the IIHF General Secretary responsibilities can be found within the IIHF Statutes and Bylaws.
The IIHF General Secretary is responsible for the implementation of the operation, development and promotion of international ice hockey, including but not limited to:
- Leading, staffing and managing the IIHF office, running the day to day administration and being responsible for all day to day operative tasks of the IIHF
- Negotiating, preparing and proposing decisions on political, strategic and commercial matters involving the IIHF of a long-term character to the Council
- Executing Council decisions and reporting on the IIHF Office activities to the Council
- Overseeing compliance with IOC and WADA regulations
- Convening and preparing the Congress and Council meetings, including compiling necessary meeting minutes
- Overseeing event management and administration of all international and Olympic competitions
- Coordinating and implementing all developmental projects
- Enforcing compliance of the IIHF Statutes, Bylaws, Regulations/Codes and decisions of the IIHF, monitoring/controlling the relations between MNAs and administering all day to day membership matters
- Leading new business development including, but not limited to, data, media and social media management, strategy and development
A complete overview of the IIHF General Secretary responsibilities can be found within the IIHF Statutes and Bylaws.