Commonwealth Games England Appoints New Ceo

01 Jun 2015 | sigadmin

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Commonwealth Games England (CGE) has appointed Paul Blanchard as its new chief executive officer to strengthen the commercial operation and support for athletes in the build up to Gold Coast 2018.

CGE will utilise Blanchard’s 20 years’ of sport management and commercial experience to build on the success of Glasgow 2014, when Team England topped the medal table for the first time in 28 years.

Former CEO of the £36m Surrey Sports Park training facility, Blanchard has hosted top international competitions and worked with some of the world’s top teams including 16 Olympic and Paralympic teams ahead of London 2012.

Blanchard’s experience also includes Harlequins Rugby League where he held the position as chief executive and sales and marketing director of Surrey County Cricket Club between 2004 and 2008 where he was responsible for securing the largest domestic cricket sponsorship deal in Surrey’s history.

Commonwealth Games England chairman, Ian Metcalfe, commented: “Topping the kind of performance Team England delivered at Glasgow 2014 is the toughest challenge for any sports team.

“We are determined to build on this success and Paul has the experience and knowledge to continue to strengthen CGE’s sporting and commercial performance as we prepare for Gold Coast 2018.

“Paul’s impressive leadership skills, knowledge of sports business and track record of delivering commercial success shone among a set of outstanding candidates.”

New Commonwealth Games England CEO, Paul Blanchard, added: “Working with top athletes and their teams for more than 20 years I know the support they need to prepare and compete to their best potential and the importance of a strong brand to help deliver and fund great performance.

“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to build on the power, appeal and success of Team England.

“Gold Coast 2018 is going to be incredibly competitive and we will work tirelessly to capitalise on the great potential that exists for Team England.”

The move also follows Commonwealth Games Scotland’s appointment of Paul Bush as its new chairman. Bush, who currently leads Scotland’s major events strategy with VisitScotland and EventScotland will take over from Michael Cavanagh, who left the organisation after eight years.