Baroness Ford To Chair 2012 Legacy Firm

Baroness Ford has been named as the chair of the newly created 2012 legacy delivery company which will focus on securing a lasting legacy for the Olympic Park after the Games have finished.

Baroness Ford is an experienced non-executive director having worked at a number of leading private and public sector companies and bodies, specialising in working with infrastructure and real estate business.

Her high profile roles include her previous chairmanship of English Partnerships and her current position as a senior advisor to the Royal Bank of Canada’s Global Infrastructure Group.

In January, the Mayor and the Government agreed to establish a dedicated London 2012 legacy delivery company to plan and maximise the opportunities available from this huge area of public sector land that will form the focus of the Games.

In her new role Baroness Ford will lead this commercially driven and community focused company, which will work with the host boroughs, local people and businesses, building on the enormous investment and momentum already underway to transform the Park into a treasured asset for the capital and the country.

The new legacy delivery company will assume the advisory roles and responsibilities of the Mayor’s Legacy Advisory Board, as well as lead in the implementation of legacy delivery at the Olympic Park.

David Gregson has been the interim non-exec chair of the Advisory Board since January 2009, a role he agreed to perform until the legacy delivery company is created.

The 2012 legacy delivery company’s remit will include securing a viable future for the venues that will remain post-2012, as well as creating distinctive new communities, ranging from buzzing urban centres to quieter areas for families surrounded by waterways and green open spaces.

Ultimately, it will drive a major long term programme of development and regeneration in east and south-east London over the next two decades, welcoming visitors from near and far, drawn by their experience of the unique imprint of the London Games and a range of exciting attractions.

One of its first tasks will be to oversee the submission of the planning application for the Olympic Park during the summer.