Five members of the Supervisory Board

About the ISR

The ISR serves as the implementing body for more than 80 sports organizations in the enforcement of disciplinary regulations. The ISR employs 10 staff members and works with nearly 100 freelancers and volunteers to assess and investigate reports of suspected violations of sports regulations and to issue rulings on such cases.

The ISR’s operating environment has changed significantly in recent years. The widespread public attention on inappropriate behavior has also led to a massive increase in the number, complexity, and social sensitivity of the cases referred to the ISR. This has regularly caused growing pains, as the organization’s expansion has lagged behind the growth in the number of cases.

To help ensure that ISR remains focused and effective, there is a need for modern and professional oversight with a strong moral compass and an eye for the human dimension. In the spring of 2023, the ISR will transition from a management board model to a Supervisory Board model, in which the director-manager reports to the Supervisory Board, which serves as employer, supervisor, and sparring partner for the management. In addition, the Supervisory Board will expand from 3 to 7 members, so that it more broadly reflects the fields of activity and the multitude of stakeholders involved with the ISR.

Where the ISR is located

The ISR is an institute that works independently to promote a safe and fair sporting environment. It does this by providing reliable and expert disciplinary proceedings and dispute resolution for all affiliated sports organizations on key social issues, including (sexual) harassment, doping, match-fixing, racism, and violence. The ISR carries out these activities independently, professionally, and reliably. These core values serve as a guiding principle throughout the organization. Based on the ISR’s mission and vision and the environment in which it operates, the organization aims to deliver its services while maintaining its independent position, yet in a collaborative and professional manner. Independence means that cases are examined objectively at all times. This applies to the ISR’s prosecutor, the investigators, and the disciplinary and appeals committee.

The ISR collaborates with stakeholders such as sports federations, the Center for Safe Sport in the Netherlands, the police, and the Public Prosecution Service, without compromising the independence mentioned earlier. The division of roles among the parties involved must be clear to everyone.

Challenges for the coming years

In recent months, the ISR has experienced significant and rapid growth, both in the number and complexity of cases, which has put pressure on the quality of its services. The task for the coming period is to restore and strengthen trust among all stakeholders, from unions to whistleblowers and those facing charges. This requires a clear positioning of the ISR, managing expectations, and clear communication with all parties involved. Disciplinary proceedings function best when there is sufficient trust and support. The Supervisory Board contributes to this by guiding and overseeing the core values of reliability, independence, and professionalism.
All of this begins with the execution of the work. Procedures and regulations are important, but so are communication with and the treatment of all parties and stakeholders involved in a case. In the coming year, in addition to carrying out its core tasks—conducting disciplinary investigations and handling reports—the ISR will focus in particular on the following areas:

• Training of investigators, prosecutors, and members of the disciplinary and appeals committees.
• Work with sports organizations to further develop the rules and regulations and strengthen the framework for updating them as needed.
• Monitor the processing times for investigations and disciplinary proceedings and reduce them where possible.
• With the updated website and communication protocols, we aim to provide greater clarity on how the ISR operates and what its role is.

The Supervisory Board plays a key role in this regard as a regulator, sounding board, and employer, and will give shape and substance to this in a structured manner.

The management and oversight philosophy

• The Executive Director manages the institution. The Board of Trustees ensures that the Executive Director does so in accordance with the Institute’s mission and objectives.
• The Board of Trustees maintains a distance from the day-to-day operations of the institution and focuses on strategic issues, broad policy guidelines, and key performance indicators,
• A strong moral and ethical compass is a key characteristic of the members of the Supervisory Board.
• The Board of Trustees adopts a proactive approach, sets its own agenda and priorities, and coordinates them with the director-manager.
• Given its caliber, expertise, experience, network, and conduct, the Board of Trustees truly adds value compared to the director-manager
• The Board of Trustees is responsible for its own performance and conducts critical (self-)evaluations. The Board of Trustees reviews its own performance annually. The Board of Trustees meets according to a set schedule, at least four times a year.
• There is a set of bylaws that outlines procedures, duties, and responsibilities, and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance has been purchased.

Desired composition of the Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board consists of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7 members. Members of the Supervisory Board are recruited publicly and appointed by co-optation. Members of the Supervisory Board are appointed for a term of up to three years and may be reappointed no more than twice. Members must be able to attend at least 75% of the formal meetings of the Supervisory Board. The remuneration of the members of the Supervisory Board is in accordance with the ISR’s current attendance fee regulations and amounts to €300 per meeting, with a maximum of €1,800 per year. The remuneration is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

Duties of the Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board acts in accordance with the articles of incorporation and is responsible for exercising comprehensive oversight of the director-manager’s policies and the general affairs of the foundation, organizing its oversight in such a way that it reflects the foundation’s social responsibility and its obligations to the affiliated sports organizations.

The areas subject to oversight are:

• Development, implementation, and evaluation of the strategy
• The results achieved by the organization
• The effects of major external and societal developments
• Relationships with key stakeholders and external reputation
• The statutory supervisory duties
• Acting as the employer for the managing director(s).
• Providing solicited and unsolicited advice to management and serving as a sounding board.
• Making decisions required by the articles of incorporation.

The Board of Trustees operates as a team. This means the following:

• The Board of Trustees is transparent, reliable, and communicates honestly and openly;
• The Board of Trustees is diverse in terms of social background, age, experience, and gender;
• The Board of Trustees ensures that there is no imbalance in collegial decision-making.

Composition of the Board of Trustees

In selecting the members of the Supervisory Board, the aim is to achieve a balance in terms of age, experience, gender, and background among the individual members, as well as sufficient complementarity with the other members in terms of knowledge, experience, and networks.
Candidates should have sufficient knowledge of, experience with, and/or an affinity for the foundation’s mission and activities, as well as for oversight duties; they should also possess a keen social awareness and a clear understanding of the interests of the stakeholders.

The size of the Board of Trustees is such that it can perform its duties effectively and responsibly, and that each individual member of the board has the opportunity to contribute based on their specific qualities.

General profile of a member of the Supervisory Board

The guiding principle for the composition of the board is that it should consist of generalists who together form a multidisciplinary team. Members must possess the following qualities:

• A broad interest in society and an understanding of social, human, and political relationships;
• A moral and ethical compass and the ability to take the human dimension into account in the operations of the ISR;
• A broad perspective, analytical skills, and the ability to distinguish between main and secondary issues;
• Understanding how organizations function;
• An interest in sports and sports regulations
• Decisiveness, a focus on results, meeting skills, communication skills, and integrity;
• Being able to assess the foundation’s performance from a supervisory perspective based on the available information;
• Striking a balance between the need to give the managing director the necessary leeway and the need to ask the right questions or adopt a critical stance toward the managing director;
• Be able to collaborate effectively within a team based on one’s own skills;
• The ability to balance both transparency and confidentiality in the handling of and decision-making regarding issues;
• Alignment with the organization’s mission, vision, and strategy, as outlined in the strategic policy plan;
• Independent (without any business interest, free from any influence or consultation, and acting in a personal capacity);
• Preferably have a relevant network.

In the interest of integrity and independence, it is considered incompatible for members of the Supervisory Board to hold any other (part-time) position such that their membership on the Supervisory Board could result in a conflict between that position and the interests of the foundation, or lead to an undesirable mingling of interests, or create the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. In any case, members of the Supervisory Board may not be directors or employees of an affiliated sports organization, NOC*NSF, or the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

Specific roles within the Supervisory Board

Members of the Supervisory Board must, at a minimum, meet the General Profile. In addition to the General Profile, there are specific profiles within the Supervisory Board that must be met by one or more members of the Supervisory Board. We are seeking candidates with the following profiles:

• Organization and Governance

Knowledge of and experience in managing organizations within a complex social landscape, with an understanding of governance.

• Sports federations

Knowledge of and experience with the operations of a large or medium-sized sports federation, but without currently being affiliated with any such federation.

• Science

Experience in relevant fields such as social services / ethics / behavioral sciences / law / sports management

• Investigation

Experience within, for example, the police or the Public Prosecution Service, or in overseeing these organizations.

• Finance

Business and financial knowledge and expertise. Ability to analyze and evaluate financial information. Preferably, knowledge of financing and funding in the sports sector.

Procedure

The ISR Board of Trustees is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information about these positions, please call Winfred Voordendag, senior partner at Colourful People, at 06-28284706. Please express your interest by sending your letter and resume no later than Mon, April 10, 2023 submit via the Colourful People website. There are discussion sessions on May 8, 9, and 10, 2023.Available both during the day and in the evening.