Edition number 5; dateline 29 January 2010
Who’s whom
The New Year is a time for change and these people have resolved to find themselves somewhere new to hang their hats:
The Cultural Olympiad Board has announced the appointment of Ruth Mackenzie as director of culture; Steve De Wint will be moving on from his post as chief executive of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership after an extended notice period; Chris Baillieu MBE is to be the new chair of Sportscoach UK, having been appointed “following an open recruitment process”; Will Evans has been made partnership manager for Derby West School and Sport Partnership which means that Chloe Morley can have his old job of senior competitions manager for Derbyshire; Scottish Athletics have recruited Nigel Hall to be their new chief executive from England Netball, where he took the role of director of netball; soccer club Arsenal has appointed Angus Kinnear from within to be their new marketing director under the restructuring of the club’s commercial operation; the British Beer and Pub Association has appointed Andy Tighe as its new director of brewing to succeed Dr David Long, who is retiring after 29 years with the association; Catherine Slater starts as the IRIS project manager for Nottinghamshire in early February when she joins national charity Family Action; and of course Rona Chester has joined Sport England as their new chief operating officer (see Row Z).
Who’s looking for whom
And these people have hats looking for new wearers :
LOCOG are beginning to gear up for 2012 with vacancies for services managers for Athletics, Sailing and Volleyball being posted; Oxfordshire’s CSP are looking for a sports project officer and a sport development officer; the Royal Court - it’s a theatre - are after a £35,000 a year literary manager; soccer club Arsenal is looking to hire a retail director, a business development analyst, a head of global partnership development and a head of marketing; up to £30,000 is on offer to the right person from Scottish Disability Sport who need a coaching and education officer who will need to know what LTAD and the UKCF are all about; Teachers TV is recruiting a creative director who understands online products and education policy; the Jordanian Olympic Committee is on the look-out for a technical director to develop performance pathways for each of its 36 sports federations; and Lincolnshire Sports Partnership are looking to replace Steve De Wint as their chief executive.
the people page
comings, goings and a personal spotlight
Spotlight: Iain Campbell
Current position
I am the first projects and partnerships officer for North Lanarkshire Council’s learning and leisure service.
Biggest challenge over the next twelve months?
Lining up the strategies with the HGIOC&S quality framework, and bringing this to life for local people. Oh, and I have to get my head around outdoor education and learning, which is new for me.
Which job within sport and leisure sector would you must like to do?
It hasn’t been invented yet. I would love to run my own foundation that supported vision in voluntary sports club projects and innovation. I believe there is a gap there. I might need to win the Euromillions jackpot first.
Who or what has inspired you in your career?
Mostly modest people who do great things. Ron Miller, an arts and entertainments officer for Angus Council who had three new ideas every day. Mike Graham, a director with a commercial construction background, who taught me the hard-nosed side of facility development. John Nicolson, a councillor and former director in Shetland, who said that the biggest barriers to developing sport in the islands weren’t the forty-foot high waves of the North Sea but the ones in peoples minds. My interest in sport came from my late father, a “robust” Churches League footballer who became a referee when he finished playing and encouraged me to have an interest in all sports.
What advice would you offer to a young person entering the industry?
Go wherever you can to get your first job, enjoy the unbeatable experience of working in sport, listen to the right people especially volunteers with passion and learn to say no sometimes. One from former colleague Ron Miller around career development: “Dinnae jump too soon”. Mind you, “Know when its time for a move” could be up there too!
Which single thing could improve the sector?
For me it would be a much greater emphasis on supporting the development of sport through real community-led ventures. I believe we fiddle around the fringes on this and at times even stifle community development.
What could the sector do without?
Loads. Stop obsessing about being seen as a profession and just be professional. Let’s recognise that academic qualifications are helpful but having a degree of common sense in your work is probably more important. Start from the principle that we are there to support what communities want to achieve in sport rather than to try to tell them what they need.
Where do you hope to be in ten years time?
Running ‘The Foundation’ from my beach house on the beautiful Hebridean island of Tiree where my family comes from.
