British Cycling Appoints New Ceo

British Cycling has appointed Julie Harrington as its new chief executive, leaving her current role as the group operations director of the Football Association (FA) in May.

Harrington replaces Ian Drake, who announced his decision to step down in January, three months earlier than anticipated.

Harrington, currently responsible for running both Wembley Stadium and St George’s Park, in addition to women’s and development team games away from Wembley, has almost 15 years’ experience in senior leadership roles in a sports environment.

Harrington, also a non-executive director of the British Horseracing Authority, joined the FA in 2011 as managing director of St George’s Park, tasked with the final stage of construction and launch of a £100m elite training centre, home to the 24 England teams. She was also responsible for developing the strategy for the centre and its commercial performance against its business plan.

Speaking of the appointment, Harrington said: “I am thrilled to be asked to lead British Cycling as it embarks on a new chapter in its history.

“This is the right time to be joining one of this country’s leading governing bodies. British Cycling already has a fantastic track record of using elite success to inspire millions of people to get active by getting on their bikes and is now setting its sights on new ambitions and a new way of working.”

British Cycling chair Jonathan Browning, who replaced Bob Howden in February, added: “In appointing Julie, I am delighted that we have found someone with exactly the right mix of skills to lead British Cycling as we embark on a period of significant change.

“Julie has substantial experience at the top level of sport and I am confident that she will excel in what is a landmark and exciting appointment for British Cycling. Her background in sport and commercial partnerships will prove vital in delivering our joint vision with HSBC UK to make cycling the number one sport and activity of choice in Britain. I am confident she will help us achieve our goal of becoming a world class governing body.”

Giles Morgan, global head of sponsorship at HSBC – which replaced Sky as lead partner of British Cycling this year – concluded: “Many congratulations to Julie Harrington on her appointment as British Cycling chief executive. British Cycling and HSBC UK have a desire to develop cycling at grassroots level, encouraging families to revisit the joys and benefits of getting on a bike. Julie’s experience in sports development is a very good fit to help us make a tangible difference, translating elite success into a lasting legacy on our streets.”

British Cycling has been subject to a UK Sport independent investigation into culture and practices at the organisation and there is also an ongoing UK Anti-Doping investigation into allegations of wrongdoing, relating back to an incident in 2011.