Baroness Grey-Thompson appointed to LLDC board

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has appointed former Paralympic champion, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson to the board of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

Already a member of the boards of Transport for London and the London Marathon and previously the UK Athletics board, Baroness Grey-Thompson will be actively involved in LLDC's legacy planning and decision making.

Grey-Thompson said: "The Olympic Park was the heart and soul of the greatest Olympic Games ever but in 2005 we set out a vision to not only bring new life to a neglected part of east London, but to provide lasting sporting and community infrastructure for the future.

"I'm determined to bring that vision to life and to be a part of this important final piece of the Games jigsaw."

Boris Johnson has also made four other appointments to the LLDC board.

To build on the board's commercial expertise, Johnson has appointed Carphone Warehouse co-founder, David Ross, while the Mayor's long-standing London 2012 adviser, Neale Coleman, is to become Deputy Chair of the board.

Phillip Lewis, chair of the corporation's planning committee, has been reappointed and Johnson's chief of staff, Sir Edward Lister becomes the Mayor's official observer for its meetings.

Johnson said: "After staging the best Games ever we are now confident we will deliver a lasting legacy that will benefit generations of Londoners and become a blueprint for future host cities to follow.

"One of my key roles is to ensure we have the best team in place to achieve our goals.

"The unique experience and skills that Tanni and David bring will add a new dimension to legacy decision making, strengthen my board and help it build on its incredible achievements to date, including finding tenants for the majority of the 2012 venues, and sowing the seeds for thousands of new homes, jobs and other opportunities for Londoners."