Image: Ian Taylor is the new SkillsActive CEO

Ian Taylor, a two-time Olympic field hockey medallist for Great Britain, has been appointed chief executive officer of the sector skills council for sport and active leisure, SkillsActive.

A former chief executive of sportscotland, Taylor was part of the gold medal-winning Great Britain field hockey team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

He also won a bronze medal in the same event at the Games in Los Angeles, US, four years previously. Other roles held by Taylor include CEO of London Irish Holdings and he joins SkillsActive having spent two years as major projects director at GL Events.

Interim chief executive officer Suki Kalirai led the council after Stephen Studd announced his decision to step down from the post with immediate effect in October 2011.

During his tenure, Kalirai - chair of the Spa Business Association - has guided SkillsActive through a restructuring process and has overseen the development of a new single qualification framework.

Writing in his latest Leisure Opportunities column, Kalirai said: "In this special year of the London Olympics, it is especially noteworthy that Ian not only has great credentials as a CEO, but also as an Olympian who has won both a gold and bronze medal."

SkillsActive chair Elaine Clowes added: "Ian is the ideal person to build on the company’s existing strengths and ensure it continues to deliver services of the highest quality."

To read more from Suki Kalirai on the appointment of Ian Taylor as CEO of SkillsActive, see Leisure Opportunities Issue 580, p17

Details: www.skillsactive.com