Glasgow 2023, the organising committee for the inaugural Cycling World Championships, has today appointed three new directors to its senior management.

Phil Heselwood joins as director of sport, Jonathan Rigby as director of commercial, marketing and communications, and Kate Steven as director of operations. They will all report to Glasgow 2023 chief executive, Trudy Lindblade. 

The 2023 Championships will take place in the month of August and bring together 13 existing individual World Championship cycling disciplines into one mega event for the first time. 

Rigby’s most recent role was as commercial and marketing director at British Cycling, in charge of all the body’s commercial partnerships, which he took up in 2017. He was also head of marketing at soccer giant Manchester United between 2010 and 2015. 

Heselwood also previously worked at British Cycling, as part of the major events team, for 11 years. He spent two of those years as Major Events Development manager. 

Steven has a wealth of experience in major sports events in the UK. She was head of operations at the 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, England, part of the organising committee for the 2012 London Olympics and was responsible for managing over 30 events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The trio will work alongside the UCI, cycling's governing body, and the various event partners to help successfully deliver the Championships in Glasgow.

Rigby said: “This presents a fantastic opportunity… 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.”

Lindblade added: “Phil, Jonathan and Katie 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.”

Heselwood will join on 1 December, while the other two hires will start work on 1 January 2021. 

Lindblade herself has only been in her role for a month, having previously worked as head of event management at Australian state tourism body Visit Victoria. 

Sportcal