The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships has appointed Phil Heselwood, Jonathan Rigby and Kate Steven to its senior management team in the roles of Director of Sport, Director of Commercial, Marketing & Communications, and Director of Operations respectively.
Reporting directly to the Championships CEO, Trudy Lindblade, each brings a wealth of cycling and international major events experience and will work alongside Trudy, the UCI and the Event Partners to design and deliver the inaugural event in Glasgow and Scotland in August 2023.
Prior to joining the Championships team, Phil was part of British Cycling’s Major Events Team for 11 years, including two years as Major Events Development Manager, where he was responsible for the strategic development, governance, financial sustainability, growth and innovation for all the governing body’s major events. This depth of experience has meant he has been involved in major cycling events across most of the 13 major championships, including the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the 2012 UCI BMX World Championships, that make up the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Jonathan brings a wealth of international commercial, marketing and communications experience to his new role having been Commercial Director at British Cycling, where he led the organisation’s commercial partnerships. He was also Commercial & Marketing Director at BBC Children in Need, helping to lift the annual total raised from £49m to £60m in just two years; and was International Head of Marketing at Manchester United for five years where he lead a team that worked alongside over 45 international commercial partners.
Kate joins having played a key role in the successful delivery of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire where she was Head of Operations. In the role she was responsible for the operational strategy, structure and the event-time team of more than 2,000 people delivering the championships’ operations. She was part of the organising committee for the London Olympics and subsequently Head of Events at Glasgow Life during the preparation and delivery of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In Glasgow, she was responsible for the programme management of more than 30 major public events including the first use of the city’s race circuit for the British Road Race Championships in 2013.
Trudy Lindblade, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships CEO, said: “I’m delighted to have Phil, Jonathan and Kate joining the Cycling Worlds senior management team. They each bring a wealth of experience to their respective roles, which will be invaluable as we develop our plans for delivering this historic event in 2023 and build a blueprint for future editions.
“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is more than just an event. It is a chance to make significant change by celebrating the unique power of the bike and all it brings to our everyday lives, whether it’s for our health and well-being, our environment, tourism or the economy. Through their individual roles, Phil, Jonathan and Kate will each play a leading role in championing this vision to ensure our ambition of delivering a truly innovative and unique event is met.”
Phil said: “I am very excited to be part of such an innovative and ambitious event. Glasgow and Scotland have a well-deserved global reputation for delivering world class events, and there is no doubt they will again provide the perfect stage for the world’s best cyclists across all 13 disciplines to perform and inspire.
“The potential of this event for cycling and the positive impact it aims to have on people’s behaviours is hugely inspiring. I’m looking forward to working with all the great partners across the country to showcase both theirs, and Scotland’s, ambition to the world.”
Jonathan said: The vision for 2023 is to deliver a unique international event that also showcases and inspires people to make cycling part of their everyday lives. This presents a fantastic opportunity to not only engage communities but also for domestic and international sponsors to partner with a truly purpose-led event at a time when cycling is booming. I’m delighted to be part of this bold ambition and I look forward to working with Trudy, the Event Partners and wider stakeholders to deliver this vision.”
Kate said: “I’m delighted to be joining the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships team. I have worked on a variety of sport operations around the world and am looking forward to working in collaboration with our national partners to build an exceptional team and operation here in my home nation. It is a privilege to help deliver the world’s largest ever cycle event and promote the power of the bike.
Phil will take up his position on the 1 December 2020, with Jonathan and Kate starting on the 1 January 2021.
Taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023, the UCI Cycling World Championships will be the biggest single cycling event in history, bringing together 13 existing individual World Championship cycling disciplines into one mega event, for the first time.
The Championships is more than just an event. It will celebrate the unique power of the bike and all it can bring to our everyday lives, whether it’s physical and mental health benefits, easing congestion on the road to help the environment, or simply making it easier for people to get around.
Underpinned by four key policy drivers - participation, transport, tourism and economy - the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will be a catalyst for behavioural change across Scotland moving forward.
The Championships will be delivered in collaboration between the UCI, Scottish Government, Glasgow Life, UK Sport, British Cycling and VisitScotland with its EventScotland team, with the partnership creating a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative and distinctive.
