Spirit of 2012 is delighted to welcome two new Directors, Nick Fuller and Tim Smith, to its Board. They join the Board as the organisation enters its most exciting phase yet, as the organisation continues to embed the recommendations of our Inquiry into the Power of Events, launched in January 2023. This work seeks to ensure that both world-class and local events staged across the UK leave a lasting legacy for and in their communities.

The new appointments also come as Susie Rodgers MBE steps down from the Board after nine years of service. The former 5-time Paralympic swimming medallist joined the board in 2014, and will remain a part of the Spirit family as she joins Sir Harry Burns, Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Baroness Sue Campbell and Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson as our newest Patron.

Susie said:

“It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with Spirit of 2012 over the last nine years. The London 2012 Games were such a pivotal moment for me personally through my medal-winning moments and the experiences I had with the team. Spirit’s mission to use those Games and other similar events as catalysts for wellbeing and social connection is one that still resonates with me and adds an even deeper meaning to taking part as an athlete. It has also increased my own knowledge and understanding of legacy and what works to ensure that events can support wider social and wellbeing agendas. I am immensely proud of the progress we have made in this space during subsequent Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, other major national events, and most recently with our Power of Events Inquiry. I look forward to continuing to watch Spirit move from strength to strength and to stay involved in my new role as Patron.”

Jane Lady Gibson OBE, Chair of the Spirit of 2012 Board, said:

“On behalf of the entirety of Spirit’s Board and Home Team, I would like to thank Susie for her tireless work over the past nine years. I am delighted also to welcome Tim and Nick. They both possess a wealth of experience in events which is sure to help Spirit as we move into the next phase of our life cycle. Both have close ties to the London 2012 Games and a belief that events can be a catalyst for long term change in communities at their core; they will be excellent additions to an already talented and committed Board.”

 

Nick Fuller is the former President of EVERFI UK — an organisation which produced education and community programmes for the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations, The Premier League and Football Association and the World Cup to name a few. Prior to this, he was the head of Edcoms — the leading education for social impact company in the UK which was acquired by EVERFI — who delivered the Spirit-funded Get Set: Road To Rio. Between 2007 and 2012 he worked on secondment as the Head of Education and Youth Engagement for the Organising Committee for the London 2012 Games.

On joining Spirit’s Board, Nick said:

“I am hugely excited to join the Board of Spirit of 2012. I have worked with Spirit since its inception, and the brilliant work it does to support the creation of happy, thriving and connected communities as a legacy of major events is something that really resonates with me. Spirit’s work to support the legacy of London 2012 is something that my own programmes have benefited from in recent years, and so I am delighted to have the opportunity to help them to continue that vital work, and to share their insights and experience.”

 

Tim Smith is an impact and legacy consultant with a specialism in delivering sporting and social outcomes from major events. Since organising ‘Inspired By’ projects around the London 2012 Games, Tim has gone on to work for Sportcal, The FA, UEFA and UK Sport.

He has worked on major events spanning Summer Olympics, world championships and multi-sport games, and across multiple international football tournaments. This has included providing legacy consultancy services for UEFA women’s events 2020-24 and chairing the Legacy Working Group for the UEFA EURO 2028 UK & Ireland bid.

Tim said:

“Over the past decade, Spirit has accrued a wealth of knowledge regarding how major sporting and cultural events can catalyse positive, long-term change for individuals and communities. I am motivated to support Spirit in its mission to embed these learnings into the fabric of how the UK invests in long-term event impact.”

 

To find out more about our Board and Patrons, click here.