HFA Elections

Voting results

Voting for the HFA Elections closed on Friday, 10 May at 23:59 CEST.

1,902 (60.3%) of 3,153 electors voted on this ballot.

The following candidates are elected :

HFA Board

• President-Elect (1 position): Wilfried MULLENS
• Treasurer (1 position): Antonio BAYES-GENIS
• Secretary (1 position): Gianluigi SAVARESE
• Coordinator of the Clinical Science Section (1 position): Marianna ADAMO
• Coordinator of the Basic Science Section (1 position): Sophie VAN LINTHOUT
• Coordinator for the National Heart Failure Societies and Working Groups (1 position): Amina RAKISHEVA
• Ordinary Board members (8 positions) – in alphabetical order
  • Dana DAWSON
  • Andreas FLAMMER
  • Camilla HAGE
  • Mark PETRIE
  • Alejandro RECIO MAYORAL
  • Stefan STOERK
  • Peter VAN DER MEER  
  • Klaus WITTE

Nominating Committee

• Nominating Committee members (5 positions) – in alphabetical order
  • Maria Generosa CRESPO-LEIRO
  • Rudolf DE BOER
  • Cecilia LINDE
  • Alexander LYON
  • Christoph MAACK

Elections timeline

Elections rules

General rules

• All candidates to a voting position have to sign the HFA elections statement and candidate code of conduct (via the electronic application form) and submit their Declaration of Interest (DOI) prior to the start of the elections process. If this requirement is not fulfilled, the candidate will not be accepted.

HFA Board positions

For all HFA Board positions, the following eligibility criteria apply:

• Only HFA Gold Members or Fellows of the HFA in good standing, having settled their dues at the date of application, and originating from an ESC member country are eligible to serve in a Board position.
• Representatives and employees from healthcare industry companies are not eligible to serve in HFA Board positions.
• A candidate can apply to only one voting Board position.
• There can be no re-election to the same position.
• Voting HFA Board Members may remain on the Board for a maximum period of 6 consecutive years (with the exception of the President who may remain up to 12 years maximum including 6 years as President-Elect, President and Immediate Past President).
• An HFA Board Member may not hold more than three leadership positions at the same time within the ESC. Sitting on an ESC Committee or on the nucleus/board of an ESC Working Group or Council or Association is counted as one leadership position. A candidate who already holds three offices may therefore not stand for election or be proposed as a candidate, except if one of those terms of office expires before the new functions start.

In addition, the following eligibility criteria apply:

• For the positions on the HFA Executive Board, candidates must also be:
  • a voting or appointed member of the current or immediately preceding HFA Board, or an ex-officio member of the current HFA Board under the condition that he/she held another position (not as ex-officio) in the immediately preceding HFA Board.
• For the position of President Elect, candidates must also be:
  • a voting or appointed member of the current or immediately preceding HFA Board, or an ex-officio member of the current HFA Board under the condition that he/she held another position (not as ex-officio) in the immediately preceding HFA Board;
  • a Fellow of the ESC and a Fellow of the HFA.

The candidate elected to the position of HFA President Elect will automatically become HFA President two years later.

HFA Nominating Committee positions

• Only HFA Silver or Gold Members or Fellows of the HFA in good standing, having settled their dues at the date of application, and originating from an ESC member country are eligible to become a Nominating Committee member.
• Members of the current Nominating Committee cannot be candidates for the elections performed under that Nominating Committee’s mandate. 

Nomination rules

• For all elected positions, the Nominating Committee should propose more than one candidate per position.
• Women should ideally comprise at least 40% of nominees for elected positions that are to be filled, in line with recommendations and principles of the ESC Gender Policy.

Voting procedures

• Elections will be conducted by electronic voting procedure and voting will be by secret ballot.
• The new HFA Board and Nominating Committee are elected by the voting members of the HFA (see definition below).
• If only one candidate is proposed for a position (e.g., when there is no other candidate), a vote will take place in any case. The proposed candidate(s) will be elected by simple majority. Abstentions, null and blank votes are not included in the number of votes cast.
• If any candidate is not elected by a simple majority of votes, their candidature will fail. The Nominating Committee must make a new proposal within three months, followed by voting through secret ballot. The Executive Board will supervise said vote.

Definition of voting rights

• Voting members of the HFA are HFA Silver and Gold Members and Fellows of the HFA having settled their due two months ahead of an election (i.e. two months before the voting platform opens), in the present case by 19 February 2024 (23:59 CET), and still members on that date (i.e. when the voting platform opens), in the present case on 19 April 2024. It is possible to join or renew here.    

Governance

Nomination of candidates for the new HFA Board and Nominating Committee is conducted under the responsibility of the HFA Nominating Committee.

Acting HFA Extraordinary Nominating Committee 2024

• Prof. Stephan Achenbach 
• Prof. Christophe Leclercq
• Prof. Cecilia Linde
• Prof. Thomas Lüscher 
• Prof. Marco Metra (chairperson, non-voting)
• Prof. Massimo Piepoli
• Prof. Piotr Ponikowski
• Prof. Franz Weidinger
• Prof. Stephan Windecker

Voting for the new HFA Board and Nominating Committee members is conducted under the responsibility of the HFA Executive Board.

HFA Executive Board 2022-2024

• Prof. Marco Metra, President-Elect and Acting President
• Prof. Piotr Ponikowski, acting Past-President
• Dr. Antonio Bayes Genis, Chairperson of the Clinical Section
• Assoc. Prof. Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti, Chairperson of the Basic Science Section
• Dr. Brenda Moura, Coordinator for National HF Societies and Working Groups
• Prof. Maurizio Volterrani, Secretary
• Prof. Ovidiu Chioncel, Treasurer