Olympic Park Legacy Company Announces Board
Chairman of the Board of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, Margaret Ford, has announced the appointment of the first Board members of the Legacy Company.
Baroness Ford said:
"The calibre of our new Board is first class. Each individual brings a real wealth of experience, knowledge and skills to the role and I am delighted that they have accepted this appointment."
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "The strength and depth of this new Board brings an exceptionally rich mix of experience to the table. Their combined skills, ranging from property development and regeneration to international business and marketing, will ensure we deliver our vision of transforming east London into a fantastic new quarter of the capital and a must visit destination for visitors from around the world."
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "Everyone working on London 2012 is committed to our promise to regenerate one of the most deprived areas of East London. It is a challenging, wide ranging job requiring the input of many sectors which is why we have today appointed experienced, respected people from a wide range of professions on to the executive board of the Olympic Park Legacy Company.
"With their wealth of experience and broad range of expertise, we have a great team in place to ensure that the Olympic Park attracts investment to the area, helping it become a thriving community and hub for new industries post London 2012."
Communities Secretary, John Denham, said:
"I am delighted to see a high quality Board in place with a wealth of experience that I am confident will prove invaluable in driving forward the Olympic Park Legacy Company.
"The Olympics is not just about sport, it's about providing a lasting legacy for communities in East London including the setting for the delivery of more than 10,000 new homes and thousands of new jobs as well as the largest new park in London for more than 100 years. The Olympic Park Legacy Company will contribute to the regeneration of East London by creating a place that people will want to live, raise a family, do business, study and visit. The Legacy Company has an important role in helping make sure we have this legacy that will benefit the region for generations to come."
Thames Gateway Minister Shahid Malik said: "This Board will be a real driving force for the Legacy Company and ensure the people of East London receive real, long lasting benefits from the Olympics. The Olympic Park will not only help regenerate this part of London. It will be an important driver in the Thames Gateway, a region undergoing an enormous transformation. The Park will provide a number of opportunities, be it through work or education, for many people living in the Gateway. The effects really will ripple out beyond East London."
The new Board members are:
Ranjit Singh Baxi is one of the UK's most highly regarded Asian business leaders. His own business, J and H Sales based in Redbridge, exports waste paper from Europe, the UK and USA to the Indian sub-continent and the Far East, and has become one of the leading recycling export companies in Europe. Ranjit is also a Divisional President of the Bureau of International Recycling, an international trade federation based in Brussels and a Non- Executive Director of Think London. A Governor of the University of East London, Ranjit is actively involved with the UK Punjabi Community and is the President of the World Punjabi Organisation ( European Division).
Nick Bitel is Chief Executive of the London Marathon and one of the country's leading events experts. A partner in sports law firm Max Bitel Greene LLP, he is a member of the Events for London Steering Group, a member of the London Community Sports Board and former Vice Chairman of Wigan Athletic.
Aman Dalvi has lived in east London all his life. He is Corporate Director, Development and Renewal at the Borough of Tower Hamlets, is a former Chief Executive of Gateway to London, and former Chief Executive of Ujima Housing Association and has extensive experience of housing development and regeneration. He leads on Tower Hamlet's Olympic activities and is a former member of the Board of English Partnerships. He sits on the Board as an individual member and not as a representative of the Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Keith Edelman, is the former Managing Director of Arsenal Holdings and a key player in the Emirates Stadium project. He is currently Chairman of Nirah, and a Non-Executive Director of Beale plc, Arnotts Holdings and Safestore Holdings. He is a former Non-Executive Director of Eurotunnel and formerly Chairman of Glenmorangie.
David Edmonds has had extensive experience within the housing and regeneration sectors and was the senior civil servant in charge of the Government's Inner Cities programme in England. He is a former Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation, Board member of English Partnerships and Chairman of Crisis, the charity for the single homeless. He was also the UK's telecoms Regulator for five years and the Chairman of NHS Direct for four years. He is currently the Chairman of the Legal Services Board, and Chairman of logistics company, Wincanton PLC.
David is a Non- Executive Director of property company Hammerson PLC and a Non-Executive Director of William Hill PLC.
David Gregson is Chairman of Phoenix Equity Partners, one of the leading private equity groups in the UK. He is currently Chairman of Abel & Cole and of Precise Media Group, a Director of Letts Filofax Group, and a trustee of the World Wildlife Fund-UK and of The Climate Group. David was previously Chairman of the Mayor of London's Legacy Board of Advisors.
Robert John is a director of a number of private sector companies which focus on housing and regeneration issues. He has held senior roles at Canary Wharf and has a continuing interest in transport and regeneration. He was appointed Chair of Wales in London in 2006 and is involved in a broad range of activities in Wales. He also advises on property development in Africa and India.
Sir Robert Kerslake is Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency beginning in post as Chief Executive Designate from 31 March 2008. From 1997 to 2008 he was Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council. He was previously with the London Borough of Hounslow initially in the post of Director of Finance and then for seven years as Chief Executive. He has held previous roles with the Greater London Council, handling Transport Finance, and with the Inner London Education Authority, He is a former Non-Executive Board member at the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Philip Lewis is a chartered surveyor and Deputy Chairman of Lambert Smith Hampton, one of the UK's largest property consultants. He is a former Chairman of Sport England, London and past President of the British Council of Shopping Centres. He was previously Chief Executive of Milner Estates plc and Executive Chairman of Safestore plc. He has held Non-Executive roles in a number of companies and is involved in various charitable organisations.
Lord Mawson is one of the UK's leading social entrepreneurs. Over 25 years he has created a family of projects, in particular the renowned Bromley-by-Bow Centre in East London. Today he is leader, motivator and adviser to major projects including St Paul's Way Transformational project in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Water City, a visionary plan to revitalise east London.
Elizabeth McMahon is Managing Director of Madison Muir, strategic marketing, brand and business development advisors. Liz was Head of International Marketing for the London 2012 Games bid and was Director of Marketing Services at the International Olympic Committee. A former Director at Citigroup and JP. Morgan, she also managed the global corporate marketing and communications department at 3M. She tutors in marketing communications and sponsorship at the Westminster Business School and the George Washington University Olympic Games MBA programme. Liz sits on the Corporate Development Board of the NSPCC and the Board of the International Womens Forum UK.
Jules Pipe was re-elected as Mayor of Hackney for a second term in May 2006, having become the Borough's first directly elected Mayor in October 2002. Before becoming Mayor, Jules worked as a newspaper journalist, working for, among others, the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph, as well as serving as a ward councillor from 1996 to 2002, and Leader of Hackney Borough Council from June 2001 until elected as Mayor in 2002.
Tessa Sanderson is an Olympic Gold Medallist, our ambassador for the London 2012 Games and head of the Newham Sports Academy which was set up to find and train talent for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A former Vice-Chairman of Sport England, she has won Sports Personality of the Year and Athlete of the Year three times and presents sport on various international television channels.
Sir Robin Wales is Mayor of Newham Council. He was a Councillor from 1982 to 1986 and then from 1992, becoming Leader in 1995. In 2002, he became the Borough's first directly elected Mayor and was re-elected in 2006. His major interests are raising employment, increasing affordable housing and regeneration in the Borough. He is local government Board member on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and is Chair of LOCOG's remuneration committee. He is also Chair of the Five Olympic Host Boroughs and is a member of the Olympic Park Regeneration Steering Group.
In addition to these Non-Executive Directors of the Company, the Chief Executive, Andrew Altman, and the company's Director of Finance and Corporate Services, who has yet to be appointed, will be members of the Board.
Representatives from the company's three Founders, the Mayor of London, the Government Olympic Executive and the Department of Communities and Local Government, will be observers to the Board.