Tim Hollingsworth to leave British Paralympic Association to take on new challenge

Following seven highly successful years as Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association Tim Hollingsworth is standing down after being appointed CEO of Sport England.

During his time at the British Paralympic Association, Tim led the organisation through both the historic London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, with ParalympicsGB achieving an incredible 147 medals at the latter to finish second in the medal table. More recently ParalympicsGB achieved its best-ever performance at a Winter Games, winning seven medals including a gold at Pyeongchang 2018.

Alongside this success at Games time, Tim has led the increase in profile and interest in the Paralympic movement, driven the commercial and business growth of the BPA as a charity and ensured it is at the forefront of challenging perceptions of disability in society.

Tim Hollingsworth said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as the next Chief Executive of Sport England. The organisation is one I know well and its vision and strategy have never been more important as we seek as a nation to maximise the ways in which people from all areas of society are attracted to, access and benefit from sport and physical activity.

Nick Webborn, Chair of the BPA, said: “Tim Hollingsworth has been a key figure in the huge growth of Paralympic sport in the UK, and the British Paralympic Association is now widely recognised as a world leading National Paralympic Committee.

“He harnessed the once in a generation opportunity presented by London 2012 which helped transform perceptions of disabled people in this country. Under Tim’s stewardship the BPA has also been determined to broaden the impact of those performances to deliver on its vision: through sport, inspire a better world for disabled people.

“While I am sad to see Tim leave the BPA I am delighted he is staying in the sporting sector and look forward to continue to work closely with him in his new role at Sport England.”

Nick Bitel, Chair of Sport England, said: “We are thrilled that Tim will be joining us as our new Chief Executive. We were fortunate to have had a number of outstanding candidates for the role. Tim’s passion for sport, wealth of relevant experience and boundless enthusiasm for Sport England’s strategy really shone through and we look forward to welcoming him in the autumn.”

Prior to the BPA, Tim was at UK Sport for seven years, first as Director of Policy & Communications and then Chief Operating Officer, following over a decade working in senior roles in corporate communications. He is also currently a Board Director of the Youth Sport Trust and the National Paralympic Heritage Trust and a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Games Committee.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said: “Tim is a fantastic appointment by Sport England and I am sure he will do a great job in leading the organisation and continuing the implementation of the government’s world leading sport strategy - encouraging more people to get involved in sport and physical activity for the positive impact it can have on their lives.”

Tim will join Sport England in November succeeding Jennie Price who announced in May she was standing down after 11 years as CEO.

Liz Nicholl, CEO UK Sport, said: “I am delighted with Tim’s appointment. Tim’s experience as Director of Communications at UK Sport to 2011 and then as British Paralympic Association CEO through and since the exceptional London Paralympic Games has positioned him really well to drive and champion the positive impact of sport and activity. Tim is a very respected colleague and the team at UK Sport looks forward to working with him and Sport England to drive even greater connectivity and impact through our collective work.”