January 2025 will see the beginning of a new era at Pentathlon GB, following the encouraging news that UK Sport’s Modern Pentathlon’s funding for the LA 2028 cycle will continue with a small increase. As we enter this new cycle, we are delighted to announce that Will Brown and Jamie Cooke will join as our new Chief Executive Officer and Head of Performance respectively.
UK Sport’s investment, designed to support a World Class Performance programme, will allow our new leadership to focus on using elite success to grow our sport. It signals the start of a new era for Modern Pentathlon, with the addition of obstacle course racing (OCR) moving forward.
Will Brown has spent 25 years working in and around sport including with organisations such as the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Betfair and Sportcal. Most recently he spent over a decade as CEO of Gloucestershire Cricket, a period during which there was huge change in the game of cricket at both an international and domestic level. Alongside commercial and trophy success there was a real focus on growing the game and having a positive social and environmental impact for the broader community. Will remains a trustee of the West of England Sport Trust (Wesport) and Chair of the Gloucestershire Cricket Trust.
He commented; “It is a huge honour to be appointed as CEO of Pentathlon GB. It is a sport that captured my imagination many years ago and one that I’m passionate about growing for the current generation of athletes and supporters and those that we can excite in the future. I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many of the fantastic team at Pentathlon GB in recent weeks and I can’t wait to join them all in January.”
Jamie Cooke is a well-known figure to the British pentathlon community, having represented Team GB at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. A former World & European champion, Jamie has been the UIPM Athlete Representative since 2021, alongside roles with the Greek national team and as Head of Performance for Pentathlon Switzerland. He is ideally qualified to lead our performance group into the next cycle.
He said; “Having been an athlete on the British programme, from the Talent Pathway through to competing at the Olympics, I’m incredibly proud to now lead the Performance Programme as we head into the LA Olympic cycle.
I have learnt so much from being abroad, first with the Greek Team and more recently with Pentathlon Suisse. I’m now looking forward to working with the athletes, coaches and wider pentathlon community here in GB towards a successful future.
Pentathlon GB chair, Diana Hunter, commented; “We are thrilled to have our new management structure in place, particularly now we also have clarity around our funding for the next Olympic cycle. Both Will and Jamie bring a wealth of experience to their respective positions.
“Our UK Sport funding is crucial in helping us achieve our goals, and we’re so grateful to UK Sport, the Government and National Lottery players up and down the country for that support. Alongside the recent opening of our OCR Elite Training Centre in Bath, we can now look ahead with confidence.
“We know there is a fantastic opportunity ahead of us. The board, management, staff and wider team are all laser-focused on increasing participation, optimising & improving the experience of our sport – and, of course, aiming for medal success.”
