World Table Tennis (WTT), the organization that manages the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) commercial rights, has announced that Steve Dainton will step down as its chief executive.
Dainton, who will also relinquish his role as WTT board director, will depart and end his long-standing involvement in table tennis on May 1.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
He will, however, continue to support the organisation in an advisory capacity over the coming months “to ensure a smooth transition.”
This concludes 21 years of service to the sport for Dainton, including eight years as CEO of the ITTF and subsequently the ITTF Group, during which he led the creation and development of WTT.
He transitioned to become WTT’s CEO in January this year after the ITTF governing body made several major administrative personnel changes as it ushered in a new executive board.
WTT stated that its board and Dainton “agree that different stages of organisational development call for different leadership approaches.”
The long-serving executive led the company through the founding phase of WTT and played a key role in the growth of the commercial entity.
WTT added that it will now move into its next phase, which will “focus on consolidating those foundations, with disciplined commercial management, stabilisation of revenue streams, and targeted strategic adjustments to support sustainable, long-term growth.”
On his departure, Dainton said: “It has been my greatest honour to help bring World Table Tennis to life. What began as an idea has grown into a global platform for our sport, and I am incredibly proud of what we have built together. WTT has demanded enormous commitment, and I have given it my full energy, focus, and heart.
“After very positive discussions with the WTT board, we all agreed the organisation was entering a new stage of development. So, I felt it was clearly the right moment to step down, to spend much more time with my family, and prepare for my next challenge.
“I remain fully committed to supporting WTT through the transition and have every confidence in its future.”
Since its launch, WTT has developed into the ITTF Group’s flagship commercial and events platform, establishing a unified global structure for professional table tennis.
Over the past six years, the organisation has built a year-round calendar spanning Grand Smash, WTT Champions, Star Contender, Contender, Feeder, and Youth events.
The WTT board has commenced the recruitment process for a new chief executive and seeks to make an appointment “without undue delay.”
In the meantime, the body has put an acting leadership team in place to manage operations, along with two dedicated task forces.
Petra Sörling, chair of the WTT board, said: “Steve has played a defining role in the creation and early development of WTT, and we are sincerely grateful for his contribution.
“As WTT enters its next phase, the board has concluded that this is the right moment to evolve our leadership in line with the evolving needs of the organisation. We look forward to building on the foundations Steve has established, with a renewed focus on operational optimisation and sustainable commercial growth.”
