Pre-Meeting - Nominations for CFC Positions
A list of CFC Directors (Executive), Officers, and Committee Members that are to be elected at the AGM is given in
http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/sh...ust-16-23-2020
Leading up to the meeting, please feel free to a) Make a nomination or b) Volunteer for a position right here
Declarations of those running for CFC board (executive) and officer positions
I will be running for CFC president again this year.
I have been president for seven years, masters rep for two before that and some may question why I would continue for another year. Most non-profits change presidents every year or two. The job if done properly is a significant amount of work and the reward does not come in the form of any monetary renumeration. The reward for a job well done is that chess grows and thrives and children and adults get to play a game that they and I love and enjoy. The strategic actions and inactions that I and the other members of the CFC board of directors undertake often go unnoticed.
When I was masters representative I was also the chairperson of the strategic planning committee and chief writer of a strategic business plan for the CFC which might be updated but still could form the basis of a plan for the CFC to go forward.
This last half year has been somewhat of a body blow to our carefully unfolding plans. In February, life was good, and everything seemed to be breaking our way. Memberships were steadily growing. Tournaments were increasing. Our revenues and net income were through the roof. There were some storm clouds but over-all the trend was positive
We were looking forward to a Canadian Youth Chess Championship and Canadian Open that might break records in Mississauga. No one anticipated that all that would be cancelled along with every major world chess event and that we would be confined to online play for the next four to six months or perhaps even longer.
In March, we were scheduled to participate once again in the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance expo in Edmonton. Once again Hal Bond and I would have met with thirty communities interested in attracting chess tournaments. The expo was cancelled just a week or two before we were scheduled to travel. This did not set us back as much as you might think because we continue to communicate with communities that we talked to at previous iterations of this expo so aside from this lost Covid 19 summer the pipeline of communities is still filling.
The last seven years have revealed many challenges but the job of CFC president has been fun as well. Getting the CFC past the NFP Act hurdle was one turning point. Getting the renewed recognition of the Canadian Olympic Committee as the governing sport body for chess in Canada was another key moment. From that flowed the first invitation to the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance (recently renamed to Sport Tourism Canada). This filled our rolodexes with contacts which greatly simplified the process of finding communities to host CYCC, the Canadian Open, the Canadian Closed and Zonals and other tournaments.
The next few months and possibly the next year or two will be made more difficult due to the pandemic. I am not going to abandon the CFC in the midst of a crisis and believe that my record of leadership over the last seven years has been a good one and will continue to be a good one until such time as the voting members at whose pleasure I and everyone in the executive serve shall decide on a different direction for the CFC or alternatively life or fate shall make some decisions for us.
I had some challenges in the past year including a torn Achilles tendon last summer which caused my weight to balloon due to inactivity. This led to some other issues with blood pressure and diabetes being the most worrisome. In the Covid lockdown, in addition to working on some chess openings, I have managed to drop more than 24 pounds and have returned to my weight of a few years ago. I believe that I will be able to effectively serve the CFC this year and perhaps into the future.
As for my past career, I have a diploma in Electrical Engineering Technology, undergrad degrees in psychology and business admin with a heavy concentration in life sciences along with an MBA with concentrations in finance and marketing. I taught introductory undergrad finance at the University of Windsor for a little over five years while running a computer consulting business. I then became a software specialist for major local supplier of factory automation equipment and software. That involved software support and sales support for factory automation software sales. That was the most fun I ever had in a paid job. I left that job to marry someone in California. Later I worked as a computer analyst at an automotive company and did computer consulting. I still do the occasional computer consulting to old customers but mostly these days I teach chess either in group classes or individually. Before the pandemic, I had three adult students at once which was a bit of a record for me. Mostly I teach kids but only online these days.
Mahmud Hassain for President
Dear Chess Friends,
First of all, I wish to thank all the Voting Members, Officers, and Directors of the Chess Federation of Canada ("CFC") for their dedication and service. In particular, I wish to thank Vlad Drkulec for his years of service as President of our Federation, a tenure which is second only to the inimitable John Prentice.
I take this opportunity to declare my candidacy for President of the CFC. I believe it is time for a new start and a fresh perspective to build on previous successes.
My name is Mahmud Hassain and I offer a wealth of experience and leadership both inside and outside the world of chess.
My first CFC rated experience was a tournament held in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1987. A decade later, I began an unbroken chain of CFC membership renewals which continues to the present day. The CFC is dear to me. During my time in Manitoba, two Canadian Opens were held in Winnipeg, the first in 1993 and the second in 1997. Although I don't claim to be the driving force behind these events, I was involved in the organization of both, and took great pride in their success. During this period, I also served as a Governor of the Manitoba Chess Association.
For the past two decades, I have been a member of the Kitchener Waterloo Chess Club ("KWCC"). I also served as a Governor for this organization and, ultimately, as its President. In 2006, for the third time in my chess career, I was involved in the organization of the Canadian Open, this time in Kitchener.
In addition to my involvement in governance and event organizing, I volunteer in schools and actively promote chess within my community. In 2013, my efforts were recognized by The Ontario Volunteer Service Award.
Outside of chess, I offer significant experience in governance and applied leadership. Most recently, I served a seven-year term as Governor of Traverse Independence - a health organization - whose annual budget is $7,000,000. Here, too, I served a term as President. During this term, the organization received federal recognition for its leadership.
Most important, from my perspective, is my membership in Rotary International. I have served for the past six years as a Governor of the Rotary Club of Guelph and, in the 2021-22 Rotary year I will serve as the Club's President. Rotary is one of the largest service organizations in the world, which recruits leaders who create a positive and lasting change, and I live by its motto: "Service Above Self".
I recently finished a Master's degree in Leadership at The Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph. This program “identifies leaders and makes them better leaders”. Entering into the program, I had the great fortune of receiving the personal endorsement of the late Dr. William C. Winegard, a former President of the University and Federal Cabinet Minister. He was a mentor and a close friend whom I miss dearly.
Although it has been my intention to serve the CFC for several years now, my various service commitments over the years have left me unavailable to serve the CFC in the way I would like to. Having completed some my non-chess commitments, I am satisfied that I am available to serve the CFC with the time and attention that I would expect of myself as a member.
My platform is three-fold: improve the online presence of the CFC, engage the CFC membership and Voting Members through modern communication means, and take the CFC to new heights using collaborative outreach strategies.
To achieve my vision for the CFC, we must engage the Voting Members to develop a new Strategic Plan, which will serve as a living document to guide our operations for the years to come.
In a few days, I will extend an invitation on this Forum to a virtual “Meet the Candidate” session. I look forward to meeting you then.
Yours in Chess,
Mahmud