The board of British Curling, the company that manages and develops elite curling in Britain, has appointed Colin Pearson as its new chairman. Since the resignation of Mike Gillespie last spring, the organisation has had a caretaker head in Hew Chalmers, see here.Today's press release states, "The selection and recruitment of the new chairman involved UK Sport, sportscotland and the British Curling board. Following an interview process, Pearson was identified as the preferred candidate. The panel’s decision has been communicated to the company’s members today (Friday 9th September).
Pearson brings to the role a wealth of experience gained working in sport over the last 30 years. His career has included an 18-year period with the national agency for sport, sportscotland, in various senior sports development roles. He has strong directorship and chairman experience, having served since 2008 as chair of Basketball Scotland’s executive board and as a director of the national golf participation programme for young Scots, clubgolf.Pearson also held roles in local authority sports operations and management in both Scotland and England, and most recently he has spent two-and-a-half years with the Professional Golf Association in a strategic development role. Pearson, from Edinburgh, was introduced to curling by his father and has enjoyed playing at clubs in Fife and Midlothian."
Pearson said, “As someone who has worked in sport my whole career, I am very much looking forward to a fresh challenge in a sport that I have great affection for. Preparations for the next Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 are already underway, so I’m ready to start working with our members and partner organisations immediately to ensure our athletes are given the best support possible in the run up to Sochi.”
I wish Colin every success in his new position. Let's hope that he will nurture a culture of openness and transparency in British Curling, words that have not been in the vocabulary of that organisation in past years. One priority must surely be to get the British Curling website up and running again.
Photo of Colin is courtesy of British Curling
