Executive Board

Dr Stefan Kannewischer, President

After completing his MBA and Ph.D. in economic sciences at University St.Gallen (Switzerland), Dr Stefan Kannewischer has worked for four years at strategy consultants Bain & Company in Zurich, Munich and London. In 2001, he became Managing Director of the Swiss family business Kannewischer Management AG that is since 1972 a specialist in consulting, technical design and operations of public swimming pools and thermal spas. Kannewischer Collection operates six thermal spas in Germany. Stefan became President of IAKS Switzerland in 2009, and since 2015 he is President of IAKS International. In 2017, he was appointed by Dr Thomas Bach to the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission.

Yvette Audet, Vice President

Yvette Audet has an extensive work experience over the last three decades in the Aquatic and Recreation Industry. Yvette’s diverse roles throughout her career underscore her deep understanding of the sector, from strategic development of programs and facilities to her significant contributions to current role as Business Development at Fluidra Commercial.

Her passion for the IAKS mission “Facilitating an Active World” has driven her to establish the IAKS Australia & New Zealand nonprofit company (IAKS Subsection).

Yvette’s drive and enthusiasm to share knowledge and encourage physical activity extends through her Sporting Mum blogs and current positions on several sport and recreation boards including IAKS (Vice President), IAKS ANZ (Director and Chairperson) and Western Suburbs Grade Cricket (Partnerships).

She is currently a member of Austswim, Sport NSW, Western Suburbs Rugby league club, Western Suburbs Grade Cricket Club, Parramatta Rugby League Club, Parks Leisure Australia and Western Sydney Moving Group.  

Yvette has been the Vice President of IAKS since 2021, and director and Chairperson for IAKS ANZ from 2022 to 2025.

Holger Kortbek, Treasurer

As Head of Sports Facilities Holger manages the sports facilities in the Municipality of Gladsaxe which is located in the east of Denmark. Gladsaxe has about 70,000 inhabitants and stretches over 25 km².

Previously he has been a part of the team at The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities (LOA Fonden) working with innovation of the facilities for sports and leisure activities.

Holger is Vice President of the Danish Association for Sports Facilities bringing together owners, operators and managers of sports facilities in Denmark with the purpose of contributing to innovation in and the development and planning of sports facilities.

Since its founding in 2017, Holger sits on the board of IAKS Nordic.

Prof. PhD Benjamin Flowers, Board Member

Benjamin Flowers is a Professor of Architecture and the Associate Director of the Knowlton School. Prior to joining the Knowlton School in 2019, Dr. Flowers was a Professor of Architecture in the College of Design at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

He is the author of several books including Beautiful Moves: Designing Stadia (LundHumphries, 2018), Sport and Architecture (Routledge, 2017) a global survey of the stadium and its socio-political significance, and Skyscraper: The Politics and Power of Building New York City in the Twentieth Century (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009), named a 2010 Outstanding Academic Title in Architecture by Choice Magazine. He is also the editor of Architecture in an Age of Uncertainty (Ashgate Press, 2014), an examination of the political economy of architecture during the 2008 global recession.

Dr. Flowers’ research has been recognized by Columbia University’s Buell Center for Architecture, Cornell University’s John Nolen Fellowship, the Society of Architectural Historians, and the Hagley Museum and Library. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and his BA from Wesleyan University. Dr. Flowers grew up in Latin America and Eastern Europe.