KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul
President  

KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul was elected to BWF Council in 2017 and Deputy President in 2019. She was re-elected unopposed as Deputy President in May 2021 and her current term is until 2025.  

KhunyingPatama is a member of the International Olympic Committee (since 2017) - the first Thai woman to achieve that honour. She Chairs the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission and is a member of the Olympic Solidarity Commission.  

KhunyingPatama is an Executive Board Member of the Olympic Council of Asia and Executive Board Member of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (since 2017) and President of the Badminton Association of Thailand (since 2013).  

Khunying Patama has served in a wide range of positions in sport: Honorary Adviser of the Badminton Association of Thailand Under Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (2008-2013); Team Manager, Badminton Thailand for Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou; Team Manager, Badminton Thailand for the Olympic Games London 2012.  

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul also sits on the advisory board of a number of professional organizations and voluntary bodies. She is also a senior expert director of Thailand Institute of Justice and Member of National Reform Committee on Culture, Sports, Labour and Human Resources Development of Thailand.  

KhunyingPatama is a successful businesswoman, a sports administrator with a deep passion for badminton. and a philanthropist.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - HR Commission
• Member - Governance & Ethics Technical Commission
• Member - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission

Tukebana Michel Bau Michel Bau
Vice President Africa  

Michel Bau was elected to Council in May 2018 as BWF Vice President Africa with the current term till 2023. Michel has been involved in sport and badminton for more than 25 years at an international, continental and national level. Michel was elected President of the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in May 2018 and has been a BCA Council member since 2002.

Michel Bau has been President of the Seychelles Badminton Association since 1994 and since 1995, Michel has been a member of the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association Executive Committee. He served as the Chef de Mission of the Seychelles delegation at three Olympic Games – Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016 and has served as Team Manager for the Seychelles Team at two Commonwealth Games – Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Events Committee
• Member - Governance & Ethics Committee
• Deputy Chair - Award Commission
• Member - AirBadminton Commission
  

Loke Poh Wong

Vice President – Oceania

Loke Poh Wong has been BWF Vice President Oceania since November 2024 and President of Badminton Oceania since April 2022.

Loke Poh has a long history at all levels of the sport (club, state, national and continental) and has been an event manager in numerous local, national and major international badminton tournaments.

Elected to the Badminton Oceania Executive Board in 2010, Loke Poh Wong was re-elected in 2014 and 2018, and in 2022, he was elected Badminton Oceania President for a four year term to 2026.

Loke Poh was also a board member of Badminton Australia (2006 - 2023), a board member of Badminton Victoria, an Australian State association, and its President for four years (2006 – 2010).

Loke Poh has been an advisor and Event Director for the Australian Badminton Open since 2010, Event Director of the BWF World Mixed Team Championships (Sudirman Cup), Gold Coast 2017 and Director-in-Charge of the Badminton Competition at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018.

Loke Poh Wong is a professional engineer who manages an environmental consulting company.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Events Committee
• Member - AirBadminton Commission
• Member - Governance & Ethics Technical Commission
  

Richard Perot
Vice President – Para Badminton  

Richard has been a member of the Para Badminton Athletes’ Commission since 2013. He was first elected Chair of the Commission in 2013,  re-elected as Chair in 2017 and was again re-elected for a new term as Chair till 2025. Richard has been a member of the BWF Council since July 2020, when the membership changed the constitution to include the Chair of the Commission so that the two athlete representatives are Council members – one for the badminton and one for the Para badminton athlete communities.

Richard has a long involvement in Para badminton as an administrator. He is President and founder of FRAP (France Para badminton) and he has been working in France with the French Badminton Federation to establish and develop a national team and structure for the sport. He was also a member of the Badminton Europe Para Commission (2014-2017).

As chair of the BWF Para Badminton Athletes’ Commission, Richard has put in place the athletes Facebook, organised player’s meetings, represented the BWF and Para badminton athletes at the IPC and represented athletes at the BWF Para Commission meetings and at a wide range of events.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Chair - Para badminton Commission
• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Events Committee
• Member - Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
• Member - Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
• Deputy Chair - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission
• Member - Gender Equity and Diversity Commission
  

Zhang Jun
Chair – Events Committee  

Elected to the Council in 2021 and re-elected in 2025 for a four-year term to 2029, Zhang Jun has had an extraordinary career as a player and coach at the highest levels.  

In 2019, Zhang Jun was elected President of the Chinese Badminton Association.  

Zhang Jun is an Olympic Champion. As a doubles specialist he won many international men’s doubles titles including the mixed doubles gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Athens 2004 Olympic Games consecutively. He was World Champion six-times in men’s singles and mixed doubles.  

Following his retirement as a player, Zhang Jun joined the Chinese Badminton National Team as a coach and in 2017, her was promoted as the Head Coach.  

As a coach, he led his players to the podium for the men’s doubles and mixed doubles gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games and men’s doubles at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as well as the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games men’s team gold medal.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
• Member - AirBadminton Commission
• Member - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission
  

Pusarla V. Sindhu

Chair - Athletes Commission

Pusarla V. Sindhu is Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, and one of India’s most accomplished badminton players, with a career spanning over 12 years at the top level. She is a two time Olympic medallist—silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020—and the first Indian to win a World Championship gold in 2019.

She has also earned medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and multiple World Championships. Sindhu has received India’s highest sporting honours, including the Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, and Padma Bhushan. Beyond competing, she actively mentors young athletes, promotes grassroots badminton, and advocates for mental health, athlete welfare, and women’s empowerment in sport. She also holds an MBA and honorary doctorates.

Having experienced the pressures of elite competition, Sindhu is committed to ensuring athletes’ voices are heard. As a member of the Athletes’ Commission, she aims to champion fair play, equal treatment, and better support systems for players worldwide.

Kim Jong Soo  

Chair - AirBadminton Commission

Elected to the Council in May 2021 for a four-year term to 2025, Kim Jong Soo was born into a badminton family and has been a part of the Korean National Badminton team as a player, a coach and team manager for more than 30 years.  

During his tenure as Team Manager (2001 - 2010) he led his team to the winner’s podium as gold medallist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.  

He was the Chief Executive Director (2013 – 2015) and is the Vice President of Badminton Korea Association (2015 to-date) and Vice President of Badminton Asia since 2015.

An administrator, elected official and team coach and manager, Kim Jong Soo has considerable experience in high performance evidence in the success of the Korean team in international tournaments.  

He is also passionate about development of badminton both in Korea and in less developed badminton playing countries in Asia through the support of badminton equipment.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Events Committee
• Chair - AirBadminton Commission
  

Sawsan Haji Mohammed Taqawi
Chair – Gender Equity and Diversity Commission    

Elected to the Council in 2021 and re-elected in 2025 for a four-year term, Dr Sawsan is strong advocate for women and girls in sport and in particular, badminton.  

She is a member of the Bahrain Football Association and the Women’s Committee in Asian Football Confederation (2004 – 2011) and the Elite Match Commissioner in the Asian Football Confederation since 2005.  

Dr Sawsan holds International Coaching Certificates for Level 1, 2 and 3 in swimming from the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and a certified conductor in the National Management programme and National Coaching programme.  A strong advocate for youth affairs, Dr Sawsan has been actively involved in various youth and sports organisations at national level.                      

Dr Sawsan was elected as the President of the Bahrain Badminton and Squash Federation (since 2017), was President of the Arab Badminton Federation (2018-2025) and a Vice President of Badminton Asia (since 2019).

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Deputy Chair - Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Social and Humanitarian Commission

Charlotte Dew-Hattens

Elected to Council in April 2024, Charlotte Dew-Hattens has had continuous involvement in badminton at club, nation and international levels for more than three decades.  

A former international badminton player with 27 caps for Denmark, Charlotte was three times national women’s singles champion (1985 – 1990), competed three times as part of the Danish Uber Cup (1986 – 1990) and as part of the team that won the European Mixed Team Championships (1986).  

For the past 18 years Charlotte has participated in senior badminton in Denmark and won eight women’s doubles titles. In 2015 she became World Champion in WD 50+ with partner Grete Sahlertz Kragekjaer at the BWF World Senior Championships in Sweden.  

Charlotte is a member of the Disciplinary Committee of Badminton Denmark, member of International Committee of Badminton Denmark and an active (team captain) and volunteer member at the Gentofte Badminton Klub.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Marketing & Communications Committee
• Member - Events Committee
• Member - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission
  

Jan Helmond

Deputy Chair - AirBadminton Commission

Jan Helmond is an experienced badminton leader and high performance coach who has served as Chairman of the Board of the Dutch Badminton Federation (Badminton Nederland) since November 2021. His leadership has focused on strategic innovation, sustainable growth, and aligning national development with global trends in the sport.

With a coaching career spanning over a decade, Helmond held positions at multiple Dutch clubs and worked internationally as National Coach for Belgium (2001–2003) and National Coach for the Netherlands (2004–2007). He later served as an advisor, consultant, and coach for Badminton Slovakia (2010–2012).

As federation chairman, Helmond introduced major initiatives such as a nationwide youth development programme supported by digital learning tools, expanded recreational pathways including AirBadminton, and strengthened financial sustainability through diversified sponsorship models.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Marketing & Communications Committee
• Deputy Chair - AirBadminton Commission
• Member - Social and Humanitarian Commission
  

José Gabriel del Busto Fernández  

José Gabriel was elected to the Council in May 2021 and is serving a four-year term to May 2025.  

A physical education teacher by profession, José Gabriel was actively involved in training and development of sports in Guatemala. He sat on the board of several districts’ school council and provided lectures on training to the Ministry of Culture & Sports Guatemala, Ministry of Education Guatemala, Autonomous Sports Confederation of Guatemala and the Guatemala National Olympics Committee.  

José Gabriel was the former President of the Badminton Federation of Guatemala (2008 – 2015), Vice President of Badminton Pan Am Confederation (2011 to-date) and former President of the Central American and Caribbean Badminton Confederation (2014 – 2018).  

He was the Deputy Chef de Mission of the Guatemalan delegation at several international events including the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Governance & Ethics Committee
• Member - AirBadminton Commission
• Member - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission
  

Mitsuru Murai

Deputy Chair - Marketing & Communications Committee

Mitsuru Murai is a senior sports executive with extensive leadership experience across major Japanese and international sports organizations. He currently serves as President of the Nippon Badminton Association, following earlier roles as its Vice President.

Before entering badminton, he spent over a decade shaping Japanese football, serving as Chairman of the J.League (2014–2022) and Vice President of the Japan Football Association (2008–2014). Under his leadership, the J.League achieved record attendance and revenues, including a landmark 10 year, 200 billion yen broadcast partnership with DAZN.

Murai has held influential international roles, including serving on a FIFA Steering Committee, and currently sits as a Council Member of the Japan Olympic Committee. He played a key role in Japan’s sports-sector COVID 19 response during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle, setting governance and risk management standards.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Deputy Chair - Marketing & Communications Committee
• Member - Event Committee
  

Bambang Rudy Roedyanto
Deputy Chair - Development & Sport for All Committee

Elected to the Council in May 2021 for a four-year term to 2025, Rudy Roedyanto is Deputy Chair of the Marketing Committee. An experienced administrator in badminton development and events management, Rudy has successfully raised the profile of the Indonesian World Tour 1000 to an iconic level and recognised as one of the best events in the series.  

As the Events Director of the BWF World Championships and World Jr Championships, he has transformed the excitement of the sport not only to give a more vibrant experience to the players and spectators but had generated greater interests and sponsorships for badminton.  

Rudy is the International Relations Director of Badminton Association of Indonesia (2012 to-date), Chair of Events in Badminton Asia (2015 to-date), Technical Delegate for Sea Games KL 2017 and for Badminton Events at the Asian Youth 2021 (Shantou) and Asian Games 2022 (Hangzhou)  

He was appointed as the Deputy Sports Manager and the Disciplinary Manager for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.  

Rudy has been Technical Delegate for many events including the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur 2017 and the Venue Manager for the Asian Games Jakarta 2018, and the latest is his appointments as Badminton Technical Delegate for the Asian Youth Games 2021 and Asian Games 2022. 

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Deputy Chair - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Events Committee
• Member - AirBadminton Commission
  

Sven Serré
Deputy Chair – Events Committee  

Elected to the Council in May 2021, Sven Serré is Deputy Chair of the BWF Events Committee.

Sven has had more than 25 years’ experience in badminton at the national, continental and world level. He is President of the Royal Belgium Badminton Federation (since 2016), Director of the Belgian Olympic and Inter-Federal Committee (since 2013), and a member of the Board of Directors of Badminton Europe (BEC) (since 2017).

Sven has had a long history with the technical side of the sport and has been a BWF Certificated Umpire since 2006, a Member of the BWF Technical Officials Commission (since 2019), Chair of the BEC Technical Officials Committee (since 2020), BEC Umpires Assessment Panel (since 2011) and BEC Umpire Coordinator (since 2016).

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Deputy Chair - Events Committee
• Member - Governance & Ethics Committee
• Member - IOC, IPC and International Relations Commission

Wajid Ali Chaudhry

Wajid Ali Chaudhry is a former international badminton player and a senior sports administrator with extensive experience in athlete advocacy and badminton development. He currently serves as President of the Pakistan Badminton Federation (since 2021) and Chairman of Badminton Asia’s Development Committee (since 2019), following earlier terms as Secretary General of the national federation and Chair of the Pakistan Olympic Association Athletes Commission (2008–2017).

His governance roles extend across the Olympic movement, including representing Olympic sports on the Executive Board of the National Olympic Committee of Pakistan since 2019. As a former top‑ranked national athlete who competed in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, World Championships, and Thomas Cup, he brings firsthand understanding of athlete needs.

Under his leadership, Pakistan has expanded national and international tournaments, strengthened athlete pathways, and increased women’s participation—highlighted by supporting Mahoor Shahzad, Pakistan’s first female badminton Olympian.

BWF Committees & Commissions

• Member - Development & Sport for All Committee
• Member - Events Committee