Carom
ZURICH - The Danish business man, entrepreneur and billiard organizer and player Torsten Danielsson (49) has been elected to the board of the World billiards federation, UMB, during the Junior World championships in Sluiskil. He was added to the board in which Jean Claude Dupont (chairman), Farouk Barki (sports director) and Fernando Requena (first Vice President and Treasurer) were re-elected during the UMB meeting with the maximum number of votes.
Torsten Danielsson, is CEO and working for a leading Indian Gastronomy Group, The King's Kurry Group: a rather small roup of companies with ca. 60 employees who are managing 7 restaurants and food courts and have product sales to around 400 supermarkets. His main focus and task is the preparation and execution for a Europe wide expansion in all areas of the group.
He moved from Denmark to Switzerland in 2002 and has an impressive history in the billiards sport as an organizer and player. Torsten Danielsson is known for his innovative ideas, focused on the future of the billiard sport.
Kozoom had a meeting with the new board member of the UMB during the World championship in Sluiskil and spoke with him in an extensive interview.
Profile:
Torsten Danielsson
Born: October 29, 1964 in Denmark
Marital status: divorced
Children: daughter born in 1994
Home town: Zurich
Profession: CEO, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of King's Kurry Group in Switzerland (restaurants, food courts, caterings, events and products)
Sport: Participant in 15 Swiss championships, eight European and six world championships.
Frits Bakker/Kozoom: What was the main motivation to propose yourself as a candidate for the UMB?
Torsten Danielsson: ,,I have the motivation and energy as well as the qualifications to take on the exiting challenge of being part of a team responsible for the worldwide carom sport. But first of all I like to thank and express my gratitude to the board of the UMB for considering my candidacy under the given circumstances of not having kept the constitutional deadline for candidates. And of course, thanks to the Swiss billiard federation, which nominated me for the election.''
FB/Kozoom: What can you tell us about your background and years in the billiards sport?
TD: ,,The most of my youth and adult live, I lived in and around the billiard scene, both as a passionate player and as a leader and entrepreneur. I started playing 5 pins in Denmark in 1976 at 12 years of age and was soon taken by this fascinating sport, in which I played myself up to the second highest level. Later, I shifted to three cushion that since then has been my passion.''
,,In Denmark I was the driving force and entrepreneur of developing Aarhus Billard Center, that became in 1989 the largest center for the billiard sport in Denmark with 5 pins, carom and later pool and snooker, as well as bar, restaurants and conference/meeting facilities. At the opening week, I was at the same time head of organizing an international Grand Prix in three cushion in Aarhus. And in the following years, I opened two other Pool Billiard halls in Denmark.''
FB: Was it the basis for a continuous period in the billiard sport?
TD: ,,In the years from 1996 to 2005, I took a sabbatical period from billiards to concentrate on my family and a new challenging career in sales to construction companies. In the year 2002 I moved to Switzerland and in 2005 I became a member of the Billard Club Zurich, where I re-found my passion for three cushion after been away for ten years.''
,,Until today I had the honour of achieving 15 Swiss championships in three cushion and biathlon. And to participate in 6 World championships for the national team in Viersen and 8 European championships both individual and for national teams.''
,,Currently, I also work as vice chairman, and am co-founder of a private charity foundation: The Morning Star Foundation, that works with development projects in India.''
FB/Kozoom: The organization for which you are going to work, the UMB, has seen better days. The billiard sport in general and three cushion in particular has lost members and is in urgent need of renewals. What is your vision for the future of the UMB and the billiard sport? And what do you expect to be your contribution?
TD: ,,My professional career and experience together with my background as a passionate player makes me believe that I can contribute to the development of our beloved sport. My human experience will surely be an advantage as well. Privately, I come from an international background: my father was from Iceland, my mother from Denmark, my ex-wife from Kenya and I have lived in Denmark in Switzerland now for twelve years.''
,,I work in an international environment, where the majority of employees are from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, but also from the UK and other European countries. This interactive and multicultural fundament is a sound basic for international organizational work.''
FB/Kozoom: How would you describe yourself as a person?
TD: ,,I am known as a person who can listen, who is patient, considerable and well prepared. I am used as a manager to take both hard and tough decisions and am used to work in all areas of a business. Currently, I spend about 20, 25 percent of my time on PR and marketing.''
,,I am familiar with many people, players and organizers of the various federations from the carom sport. The development of carom throughout the world is different from continent to continent. While we have the tendency in Europe and North America of less organized members, we see the opposite in South America and many places in Asia where carom is booming.''
,,In Europe and America, free time has received a new meaning and dimension over the last thirty or forty years. Our part of the world has become more materialistic and career oriented. The pressure to perform is increasing. That not only brings a change in the traditional family patterns, but also people begin to focus on other things than before. An example is the change from the traditional sports, hobbies and ways of socializing into the virtual internet based world where people spend lots of time playing games, being on facebook, twitter and other social media. For that reason, ,,let's play billiard for a couple of hours'' has changed to: ,,I go online for a few hours.''
,,This situation will increasingly cause a massive change in society in the coming years. We can't change it, even though it has many negative consequences and will lead to less interaction between people, less social contact and lead to a more isolated life. How shall we position carom in that perspective?
Here are some ideas:
Creating a business plan for carom with new targets for the next 2, 6 and 12 years is essential. We must create a clear plan for the mission, vision, strategy, execution and communication.
That in my view should be:
Reorganization and modernization of the UMB in various fields, such as:
1. New corporate identity: stepping away from the dusty 1959 look.
2. Prepare UMB for an intense involvement and cooperation with industry, foundations, media and private investors/sponsors.
3 Separating and outsourcing of the administration. That will enable the UMB board to focus on the vision, sports, events and competitions rather than on paperwork.
4 Revision of the existing game systems and ranking systems
5. Revision of the relationship: UMB-confederations federations-clubs
6 Focusing on innovative new ways of communication to the public world.
7 Prepare UMB for a generational change
8 Securing the position of carom and billiard in general towards IOC
9 Focus on three cushion and 5 pins as our main diciplines.
FB/Kozoom: Thank you for this interview Torsten and good luck in your new job for the UMB
Torsten Danielsson: ,,Thanks to Kozoom for all the wonderful work to promote the billiard sport and to the UMB to give me the chance to launch my ideas and plans in the billiard world.''