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Design group to receive new leadership – November 13, 2006

Glynn Kerr, founder of the Motorcycle Design Association, says he does not intend to seek another term as president of the international organization.
The MDA holds committee elections every two years. Kerr was first voted president of the MDA six years ago at the organization’s first official gathering in Munich.
“Since then the association has taken a large part of my free time,” Kerr told Powersports Business.
“I’ve been happy to bring together the many contacts I’ve made throughout the motorcycle industry during a 22-year career, and use my conveniently neutral position to ensure that fairness and balance was maintained both politically and nationally. But it is time for someone else to bring their influence to our group, and to take the MDA onto new things.”
Co-founded by Kerr and Francois-Marie Dumas, the MDA serves to bring together motorcycle designers of all nationalities to promote their activities and to ease communication between designers and potential clients, promote students’ work and help create links between colleges and the motorcycle industry.
The MDA now has a membership of about 130 freelance consultants, in-house design studios, and other industry entities spread over four continents and representing the majority of professional motorcycle designers worldwide.
A part of Kerr’s desire to step away from the demanding position with the MDA likely comes from the new business ventures he is currently pursuing in the United States. In fact, he already sold his home in Villefranche de Lonchat, France, and set up shop in Roseville, Calif.
“I will be based mainly in the U.S. and won’t be able to organize things in Europe so easily … so the timing is opportune to pass the president’s position on to someone else,” he said. “This doesn’t mean that I will stop participating in the MDA altogether though. It has been suggested that we create a purely academic role of MDA chairman, which will act as observer and advisor to the committee, and in which I will be pleased to continue contributing for some time to come. However, the actual running of the association, along with the financial administration, will now pass into new hands.”
So, has anyone been endorsed?
“I will welcome contact from anyone interested in taking over this position,” Kerr said. “Taking over as president will not be easy, and Bart van den Bogaard has made a good proposal, which I recommend we adopt. He suggests that each president should hold full office for just one year, with a year before shared with the outgoing president to learn the ropes, and a year after shared with the incoming one. This seems like a logical arrangement, and I will be happy to act as outgoing president during 2007 to help ease my successor into the role.”
Kerr says he’s pleased with the many things achieved during his time as president, but doesn’t hesitate to admit “there are other areas which are still lacking — in particular funding, and a real support from within the industry,” he said. “Hopefully, the next president will have more success in these areas.”

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