Tim Hollingsworth appointed new chief executive of Sport England

Tim Hollingsworth has been appointed Chief Executive of Sport England and will follow on from Jennie Price when she leaves us in November after 11 years.

Currently chief executive of the British Paralympic Association (BPA), Tim led the organisation into four Paralympic Games including a best-ever Winter Games performance at PyeongChang 2018 – where ParalympicsGB won seven medals, including one gold.

That followed an impressive 147-medal haul at Rio 2016 as his team finished second in the medal table, up from third and 120 medals at London 2012.

Tim has also been at the forefront of the work that has increased the profile and interest of the Paralympic movement, driving the commercial and business growth of the BPA as a charity that challenges perceptions of disability in society.

He'll join us in November and is excited by the new challenge.

“I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as the next Chief Executive of Sport England,” he said.

“The organisation is one I know well and its vision and strategy have never been more important as we seek as a nation to maximise the ways in which people from all areas of society are attracted to, access and benefit from sport and physical activity.  

“I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the Paralympic movement for the past seven incredible years and am pleased the BPA will remain a key partner in my new role.

“It is one that I relish and I can’t wait to get started.”

Before his seven years with the BPA, Tim held the roles of director of policy and communications and chief operating officer at UK Sport.

Prior to that, he had a decade’s worth of experience working in senior corporate communications roles – all of which builds an impressive CV that saw him awarded an OBE in 2017.

Tim is also a board director of both the Youth Sport Trust and National Paralympic Heritage Trust, as well as being a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Games Committee.

147

The number of medals ParalympicsGB won at Rio 2016

A list of achievements that our Chairman Nick Bitel found hard to look past.

“We are thrilled that Tim will be joining us as our new Chief Executive,” he said. “We were fortunate to have had a number of outstanding candidates for the role.

“Tim’s passion for sport, wealth of relevant experience and boundless enthusiasm for Sport England’s strategy really shone through and we look forward to welcoming him in the autumn.

“I would also like to warmly thank Jennie for her tireless service and dedication to Sport England over the past 11 years.

“She leaves an organisation full of confidence for the future and on course to deliver against its ambitious vision to create a healthier and happier nation through sport and physical activity.”