Andy Anson: British Olympic chief poached by London private equity firm
Knightsbridge-based private equity firm BD-Capital Partners has poached British Olympic Association CEO Andy Anson to join the board of its recently acquired performance nutrition brand Science In Sport.
Former Manchester United and Walt Disney Company executive Anson will depart the BOA in October after six years as chief executive, during which time Team GB won more than 60 medals at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
The 60-year-old, who is also chair of Lancashire County Cricket Club, said: “I am proud to have led an organisation that I love and care for. Olympic sport is so important to our country, and I hope I leave it in a better place today.
“Commercially, we have enjoyed our best ever period of success and sustained growth and with that we have been able to build a financially stable organisation, fit for the future.”
It comes just weeks after BD-Capital announced a deal for Science In Sport, which supplies products to professional and international sports teams as well as Olympic athletes.
Anson will join the board of SIS, and “will help look for and assess further investment opportunities in the sports ecosystem”, the BOA said.
Andy Anson leaves BOA after 14 years
“Andy’s tenure at the BOA is one that he can look back on with immense pride,” said BOA chair Katherine Grainger.
“He leaves with the gratitude of all of us – board members, his wider team and of course the athletes who he and his team have served and supported so well.
“The BOA is in a strong place both on the sporting front ahead of the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, and on the commercial front.
“I wish him well and thank him for everything he has done for the organisation.”
Anson joined the BOA as an independent non-executive director in 2011 and was made chief executive in 2019, soon after which he had to navigate the organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The Oxford graduate has a background in consulting and has also held senior roles at Channel 4, sports merchandise retailer Fanatics, and, in tennis, the ATP Tour, where he was chief executive.
He led England’s bid to host the men’s football World Cup in 2018, which lost out to Russia in a now-notorious vote that also saw Qatar awarded the 2022 tournament.