New Board Members
Pentathlon GB is delighted to welcome John Mayock and Craig Anthony to our board.
Both additions bring a wealth of experience. John Mayock was a three-time Olympian, representing Team GB at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games. His post-athletics career has been health and wellness-focused; as well as stints with Sport Wales and The Great Run Company, John has been Director of The Daily Mile & Employee Wellbeing Programme at INEOS for eight years.
Craig Anthony has been Chief Executive of British Wrestling since 2019. He has a track record of development in sport with previous positions at British Orienteering and GreaterSport. His main area of expertise is in driving participation growth, which is in line with Pentathlon GB’s 2024-2028 strategy.
We believe John and Craig’s insight will prove incredibly valuable, and we warmly welcome them to the board.
Interim CEO
After a thorough review over the summer to ensure the needs of the organisation would be met by any future appointment, it became clear during discussions with staff, athletes, members and the wider community that continuity in leadership was required. Given our finite resources, the pressures on a small staff team and the need for financial stability, it was crucial there was no gap between Trafford Wilson’s departure and a new CEO joining.
The Board held extensive discussions with our two main funding sources, Sport England and UK Sport. Both agreed that James Burton was an excellent candidate to take on the interim position. His extensive leadership experience across a 20-year commercial career, coupled with his knowledge of the sport from his time on the Board, leave him ideally suited to guide the governing body through the next few months.
With Paris 2024 dominating the sporting landscape this summer, it was agreed that recruitment for a permanent CEO would start in September. As with all Government-funded positions, there will be an open application process, including interviews with UK Sport, to ensure we appoint the right candidate for the future.
We would like to once again put on record our thanks to Trafford Wilson for his hard work, dedication and passion over his time with Pentathlon GB. Part of his legacy is the fantastic opportunity awaiting his successor.
That opportunity over the next four years is unprecedented. We are already putting in place the structures to give our athletes the best chance of success at LA 2028, and there is an optimism that we can drive real growth in participation. The Board is determined to find the right person to ensure we capitalise and, in doing so, safeguard our sport for future generations.
The next CEO will have the incredible opportunity to lead our sport into a new era.
Performance Director
At the same time, we will be conducting a search for a new Performance Director as Georgina Harland’s secondment from the British Olympic Association ends in December.
We would like to pay tribute to Georgina for her hard work during her time with us, delivering a robust performance plan for our athletes building to Paris 2024.
This will be an open process as we look ahead to LA 2028. Further details will follow in due course.
