Our February event welcomed the CEO of British Cycling, Jon Dutton OBE, to K-Club for his second visit in four years, and a packed audience of members and guests at the Everyman Cinema in Manchester.
Jon outlined his career highlights, which included a remarkable period as CEO of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (postponed until 2022). He had been involved in the project since its inception in late 2015, having successfully led the bid for the tournament. The tournament, the biggest in the sport's 127-year history, featured the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair tournaments being run simultaneously for the first time and included a significant social impact programme which tackled inequalities by providing opportunities in hard-to-reach communities. Jon was awarded an OBE for services to Rugby League in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours list.
Moving on to his current position at British Cycling and the challenges and goals ahead, Jon, appointed Chief Executive of British Cycling in April 2023, gave a hugely inspiring overview of the breadth and depth of cycling disciplines supported by British Cycling, both in the professional scene and the wider community and club scene in the UK.
Jon presented his new purpose-led vision for British Cycling and how their ‘Social Impact Through Cycling’ programme was being rolled out nationally. The structure of the programme is based on a Theory of Change model, with four key outcomes:
Social justice - Getting a foot on the ladder (removing barriers)
Social mobility - Moving up the ladder (developing skills)
Social cohesion - Feeling that you belong on the ladder (purpose and pride)
Tackling inactivity - The ability to move the ladder (movement)
A further key element of their strategy is to forge partnerships that make a difference. Jon emphasised the importance of commercial brand partnerships to the success of their social impact programme, the delivery of their renewed vision, and their ability to reinvest back into the sport.
Commenting, Jon said, “While British Cycling has enjoyed success in this area in the past, we’ve understood the need to create new and commercially compelling opportunities for brands, allowing them to come on a co-creation journey with us and shape the activity to their own strategic ambitions.”
Jon ended his presentation with a view into the exciting build-up to the Olympic Games happening this summer in Paris. He focused on the mission of the professional teams to bring home medals and continue the huge success of cycling in previous Olympics and World Championship events.
We look forward to hearing from Jon again in the future and wish the whole team enormous luck at the upcoming Olympic Games.
Comments