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The Scottish Institute of Sport has today (20 August) announced the appointment of its new Executive Director, Mike Whittingham. Whittingham has joined the Institute, following the departure of the founding Executive Director, Anne Marie Harrison.
After an extensive search, Whittingham's appointment is testimony to his impressive track record in sport and consultancy as well as his successful leadership ability. Most recently he held the post of Head of Technical Services and Performance Manager at UK Sport where he added to his far reaching experience of high performance sport. Whittingham has also worked on a range of consultancy projects for various bodies including; UK Sport; UK Athletics; British Swimming; Millennium Dome; British Triathlon; IAAF, as well as development and performance strategies for a range of sports.
The new Executive Director is well versed in Scottish sport having worked as a consultant to the Institute for over five years providing strategic guidance on various projects. In addition he contributed directly to the London 2012 Legacy Board where he represented the interests of the wider UK, in particular Scotland.
Born in London, Whittingham is a former Great Britain International 400m hurdler and has been involved in sport since leaving university. He has acquired experience though a significant number of high level sporting events including; five Olympic Games; 11 World Championships; 12 European Championships and six Commonwealth Games.
Chairman of the Scottish Institute of Sport, Dougie Donnelly, said, “The appointment of Mike as Executive Director is a real coup for the Institute. His impressive CV speaks for itself. He brings strategic flair and vision coupled with the ability to inspire, motivate and develop the management team ensuring that the organisation maximises its potential. I have no doubt that he will build on the strong foundations established over the past seven years and as such sport in Scotland will benefit from his expertise.”
The appointment is a timely one, coming at a time when Scottish sport is charging ahead. This period signals the next phase in the Institute's evolution after laying the foundations, this phase is about growing and evolving the Institute, working towards Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 in the short term and London 2012 and 2014 in the longer term. As Executive Director of the Scottish Institute of Sport, Whittingham will be responsible for building on the successes of the initial seven years of operation, ensuring that Institute athletes are able to perform to the highest level at these events. Moving forward his strategy is likely to be influenced by the findings of the recently completed sportscotland led review of the Institute.
Whittingham, who takes up his role on 21 September, added, "These are exciting times for me and for Scotland and above all for Scottish sport with London 2012 to look forward to and the possibility of Glasgow and Scotland hosting a Commonwealth Games in 2014.
“I strongly believe that Scotland can be a major player on the World stage over the coming years, building on its fantastic achievements in 2006 in Melbourne and encouraging our young talent to believe in themselves and respond to the challenges by setting new unprecedented standards. The Scottish Institute of Sport encapsulates that vision and this is a great opportunity for me and all of us at the Institute who are passionate about " high performance sport" to join forces to ensure Scottish athletes feature highly in Beijing, Vancouver, London and.....yes Glasgow"
