A new unitary board has been appointed to lead London Marathon Events, the trading company of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.
The board will be led by new chair Terry Dundy and bring together both executive and non-executive directors of the company, as well as a trustee of The London Marathon Charitable Trust.
Terry Dundy had a long career in retail, including leading Argos owner Home Retail, and as a director of Debenhams, where he also served as interim chairman before stepping down in 2019. He is also the chair of charity Catch 22.
London Marathon Events’ board previously had just non-executive directors, and was led by Sir John Spurling. Spurling will retire after 21 years on the board and become president of The London Marathon Charitable Trust. Six of the former non-executive directors are also stepping down.
Dawn Austwick, who is also leaving her post as CEO of the National Lottery Community Fund at the end of the year, was appointed as vice chair of the trust. She has been a trustee there since 2017.
‘The culmination of many months of work’
Sir Rodney Walker, chair of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, said: “These appointments are the culmination of many months of work by the trustees and the board and senior management of London Marathon Events. On behalf of the trustees, I would like to thank everyone involved for their work and passionate commitment to creating the new unitary structure.
“We are delighted to welcome Terry Duddy as the new chair of London Marathon Events and a trustee. We look forward to working with Terry and the new board at this very exciting – and challenging – time for mass participation events.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, London Marathon Events has again shown its ability to create and deliver extraordinary events – both virtual and physical – that truly resonate with the public and inspire activity.”
Terry Duddy said: “It is an honour to be asked to join London Marathon Events, which has done so much to inspire activity and to demonstrate the positive transformational power of sport.
“In these difficult times, it’s never been more important to encourage people to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of getting active. I am looking forward to working with everyone at London Marathon Events and supporting the great work of The London Marathon Charitable Trust.”
