UK Sport appoint Timson as Director of Performance

17.10.12

UK Sport has announced that Simon Timson has been appointed to the role of Director of Performance.

As Director of Performance, Simon will be charged with the crucial role of shaping the future of the UK’s high performance system to sustain British Olympic and Paralympic success in Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and beyond.

Simon is currently head of the England development programme and science and medicine at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and will take up his role as performance director in January 2013, succeeding Peter Keen who left the role in May 2012 to become UK Sport’s Special Advisor for Performance.

Simon has also been a highly valued member of UK Sport’s Mission Control Panel since 2011, working across all Olympic and Paralympic sports, evaluating their preparations for London 2012 through UK Sport’s Mission 2012 tool.

Prior to his work at the ECB, Simon was Performance Director to British Skeleton from 2000 to 2006, kick-starting a glittering period for the sport in which they have won medals at every Olympic Games since Salt Lake City in 2002.

During his time with British Skeleton Simon also worked as a psychologist for the English Institute of Sport.

“I'm delighted to be taking up this significant leadership role within UK Sport at such an exciting time, with such a strong performance in London to build upon," said Timson.

“I feel confident the system possesses the knowledge, expertise and tools required to sustain success into the future and will be looking to the lessons learned from the London cycle to see where there is room for improvement.

“London 2012 certainly inspired a generation, and I'm looking forward to working with UK Sport’s key partners, particularly the Olympic and Paralympic sports, to further develop the high performance system and enable more athletes to achieve the ambitions London has inspired within them in Sochi, Rio and beyond.”

The appointment is made following an extensive recruitment process over the period of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, designed to put the organisation in the best possible position to appoint an outstanding candidate for this role from the world of high performance sport.
 

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