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London 2012<br />
The leadership & talent challenge
“The Organising Committee, well supp<strong>or</strong>ted by the public auth<strong>or</strong>ities, did a superb job.<br />
Thank you L<strong>or</strong>d Coe and your great Locog team. You have shown the w<strong>or</strong>ld the best of<br />
British hospitality. These were happy and gl<strong>or</strong>ious Games”<br />
– Dr Jacques Rogges, IOC President<br />
Just bef<strong>or</strong>e 11.00pm on Sunday 9th<br />
September 2012, a f<strong>or</strong>merly scruffy,<br />
unloved and f<strong>or</strong>gotten c<strong>or</strong>ner of<br />
East London bathed in the glow of<br />
crackling pyrotechnics and spectacular<br />
light shows. The Paralympic Closing<br />
Ceremony was drawing to its<br />
conclusion. The firew<strong>or</strong>ks illuminated<br />
a stunning range of infrastructure –<br />
the Olympic Stadium, a £500 million<br />
mass of steel, concrete and PVC; the<br />
velodrome, home to Great Britain’s 12<br />
Olympic and Paralympic cycling gold<br />
medals, and the multi-sp<strong>or</strong>ts arena,<br />
affectionately known as the Copper Box.<br />
But while the athletes’ endeavours and<br />
triumphs caught the imagination of<br />
people across the globe, London 2012<br />
was also a st<strong>or</strong>y of one of the w<strong>or</strong>ld’s<br />
most complex feats of <strong>or</strong>ganisation.<br />
With an immoveable deadline, multiple<br />
stakeholders and hugely diverse<br />
customers, staging an event of the<br />
scale and scope of a modern Olympics<br />
remains a leadership challenge f<strong>or</strong><br />
which only w<strong>or</strong>ld rec<strong>or</strong>d breakers need<br />
apply.<br />
Consider the following range of<br />
essential goals: the London Organising<br />
Committee of the Olympic Games<br />
(Locog) had to raise £2 billion of<br />
private finance; transp<strong>or</strong>t and stadium<br />
infrastructure had to be planned and<br />
delivered on time and within budget;<br />
14 million meals f<strong>or</strong> athletes, officials<br />
and media had to be provided; and, a<br />
w<strong>or</strong>kf<strong>or</strong>ce of over 200,000 had to be<br />
assembled, including 6,000 paid staff,<br />
up to 70,000 volunteers and around<br />
100,000 contract<strong>or</strong>s. Couple this with<br />
the global interest, intense media<br />
scrutiny and the staging of the w<strong>or</strong>ld’s<br />
biggest peacetime security operation<br />
and you begin to get a sense of the<br />
challenges Olympic <strong>or</strong>ganisers faced.<br />
An outstanding Olympic Games<br />
required outstanding leadership.<br />
<strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> is proud to have<br />
been part of the wider Olympics eff<strong>or</strong>t.<br />
We were entrusted with over 40 seni<strong>or</strong><br />
Olympics-related searches, including<br />
the Chief Executive of Locog (L<strong>or</strong>d<br />
Paul Deighton), the Chairman of the<br />
Olympic Delivery Auth<strong>or</strong>ity (Sir John<br />
Armitt), and the Chief Executives of the<br />
Government Olympic Executive, British<br />
Olympic Association and London Legacy<br />
Development C<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ation.<br />
This case study examines the leadership<br />
and talent challenges of delivering<br />
London 2012 and reflects on some of<br />
the lessons business can learn from<br />
staging a successful Olympic and<br />
Paralympic Games.<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk 3
n The Leadership Challenge<br />
“Give yourselves just seven years to marshal all the money needed, employ the best<br />
possible staff, procure billions of pounds’ w<strong>or</strong>th of goods and services, and mobilise tens<br />
of thousands of volunteers – with sustainability at the heart of the entire operation – and<br />
that’s the London 2012 Games”<br />
– Jonathon P<strong>or</strong>ritt, Chair of London 2012 Sustainability Ambassad<strong>or</strong>s Group<br />
With seven years to prepare f<strong>or</strong> London<br />
2012, a significant national responsibility<br />
fell squarely onto the shoulders of a select<br />
few leaders.<br />
F<strong>or</strong> Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of Locog,<br />
an immediate challenge was the financial<br />
demands of staging the games. London<br />
2012 was funded through a complex<br />
combination of public and private sect<strong>or</strong><br />
revenue streams. Locog was established as<br />
a private company overseeing a c<strong>or</strong>e budget<br />
of over £2 billion, with almost all revenue<br />
raised from the private sect<strong>or</strong>. Whilst<br />
Deighton’s team benefited from commercial<br />
opp<strong>or</strong>tunities granted by the International<br />
Olympic Committee, the London team<br />
was tasked with raising substantial sums<br />
through ticket sales, merchandise and a<br />
domestic spons<strong>or</strong>ship programme. The<br />
target? A testing £633 million.<br />
Deighton built and oversaw a commercial<br />
team drawn from a variety of backgrounds,<br />
and <strong>or</strong>iginated, negotiated and executed<br />
over £750 million of domestic commercial<br />
spons<strong>or</strong>ship, well in excess of the <strong>or</strong>iginal<br />
target.<br />
The 2012 Olympic Games<br />
in Numbers<br />
5<br />
jumbo jets that could fit, wing-to-wing,<br />
inside the International Broadcast Centre<br />
44<br />
w<strong>or</strong>ld rec<strong>or</strong>ds broken<br />
95<br />
% of UK population that were within 10<br />
miles of the Olympic Flame<br />
10,800<br />
athletes who competed at the games<br />
26<br />
sp<strong>or</strong>ts that took place across 38 disciplines<br />
65<br />
medals won by Team GB<br />
17<br />
kilometers of steel cables used to make the<br />
double-curving, cable-net roof structure of<br />
the velodrome – twice the height of<br />
Mount Everest<br />
4<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk
Staging an<br />
event of the<br />
scale and scope<br />
of a modern<br />
Olympics<br />
remains a<br />
leadership<br />
challenge f<strong>or</strong><br />
which only w<strong>or</strong>ld<br />
rec<strong>or</strong>d breakers<br />
need apply<br />
Against a backdrop of global economic<br />
uncertainty, the team completed 44<br />
domestic spons<strong>or</strong>ship contracts, a further<br />
55 licensing and retail contracts, three<br />
hospitality contracts and the sale of eight<br />
million Olympic and Paralympic tickets,<br />
which alone accounted f<strong>or</strong> £500 million<br />
in revenue. Couple this with an additional<br />
£700 million from the spons<strong>or</strong>ship and<br />
broadcast revenues of the International<br />
Olympic Committee and Locog succeeded in<br />
meeting the financial challenge head-on.<br />
Across the 23rd flo<strong>or</strong> of London 2012’s<br />
Canary Wharf HQ, Sir John Armitt,<br />
Chairman of the Olympic Delivery<br />
Auth<strong>or</strong>ity (ODA), led the public sect<strong>or</strong> body<br />
responsible f<strong>or</strong> developing and building<br />
the new venues and infrastructure. Sir John<br />
and his team were granted a budget of<br />
£5.3 billion – provided by the Department<br />
f<strong>or</strong> Culture, Media and Sp<strong>or</strong>t, the Greater<br />
London Auth<strong>or</strong>ity and the Olympic Lottery<br />
Distribut<strong>or</strong>.<br />
Transp<strong>or</strong>t was an additional headache, with<br />
many suggesting that London’s creaking<br />
Vict<strong>or</strong>ian infrastructure would be unequal<br />
to the task of delivering the hundreds of<br />
thousands of spectat<strong>or</strong>s to their venues.<br />
In the end, London’s transp<strong>or</strong>t netw<strong>or</strong>k<br />
exceeded all expectations in delivering a<br />
smooth service throughout the Games.<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk 5
n The Talent Challenge<br />
“We needed to build a w<strong>or</strong>ld class team and selected <strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> f<strong>or</strong> the breadth<br />
and depth of their experience in both the public and the private sect<strong>or</strong>. Having helped<br />
us secure a brilliant CEO, they are now helping us to build an equally impressive seni<strong>or</strong><br />
management team”<br />
– Sir Keith Mills, Vice-Chair, Locog<br />
The Olympics talent challenge was one of<br />
vast scale and complexity. It required a large<br />
<strong>or</strong>ganisation, with a huge budget and farreaching<br />
objectives, to be established from<br />
scratch in <strong>or</strong>der to deliver a programme f<strong>or</strong><br />
which there was no modern UK precedent.<br />
The hiring challenge was to identify<br />
individuals with the skills, experience and<br />
teamw<strong>or</strong>king skills to start delivering from<br />
day one – the carved-in-stone nature of<br />
the Olympics deadline allowed little time<br />
f<strong>or</strong> people to ‘grow into’ their roles. At<br />
the same time, those appointed needed to<br />
demonstrate the ‘stickability’ to see the<br />
project through. All of this in the face of<br />
intense political and media scrutiny.<br />
<strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> was entrusted with<br />
search assignments across numerous<br />
disciplines, including seni<strong>or</strong> leadership,<br />
finance, media, government relations,<br />
marketing, risk, education and other diverse<br />
operational roles. Where to look f<strong>or</strong> people<br />
with the right qualities?<br />
Identifying individuals with pri<strong>or</strong><br />
experience is an obvious starting point in<br />
any search. F<strong>or</strong> example, <strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong><br />
supp<strong>or</strong>ted the appointment of Doug Arnot<br />
as Direct<strong>or</strong> of Games Operations. With a<br />
rec<strong>or</strong>d that includes running operations<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the 1994 W<strong>or</strong>ld Cup as well as the 1996<br />
Atlanta Olympics, 2002 Winter Olympics<br />
and the 2016 Chicago Olympic bid, Doug<br />
Arnot offered proven know-how.<br />
But staging an Olympic games is far from<br />
a commonplace experience, and the team<br />
could hardly be staffed by those who had<br />
done it bef<strong>or</strong>e. The challenge f<strong>or</strong> <strong>Odgers</strong><br />
<strong>Berndtson</strong> was to identify individuals<br />
with relevant, transferable experience in<br />
different fields.<br />
Take the role of Chief Executive of Locog.<br />
The position called f<strong>or</strong> exceptional<br />
management and leadership skills, firstclass<br />
financial understanding, an ability<br />
to w<strong>or</strong>k under en<strong>or</strong>mous pressure, and<br />
the right personality and style to serve a<br />
complex and demanding stakeholder base.<br />
The successful candidate, Paul Deighton,<br />
had proved himself in one of the most<br />
demanding w<strong>or</strong>k environments to be<br />
found anywhere. As Chief Operating Officer<br />
of Goldman Sachs International, he had<br />
demonstrated his ability to lead teams of<br />
skilled professionals in an environment<br />
of exacting client expectations. The<br />
highly regulated and scrutinised w<strong>or</strong>ld of<br />
investment banking also made him familiar<br />
with the outward-facing nature of the Locog<br />
role.<br />
The imperative of looking f<strong>or</strong> relevant –<br />
rather than direct – experience was at the<br />
heart of much of <strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong>’s w<strong>or</strong>k<br />
as we searched f<strong>or</strong> those whose past roles<br />
would ‘read across’ success<strong>full</strong>y into the<br />
unique demands of Locog. At the same<br />
time, the personal qualities of applicants<br />
The hiring<br />
challenge was<br />
to identify<br />
individuals<br />
with the skills,<br />
experience and<br />
teamw<strong>or</strong>king<br />
skills to start<br />
delivering<br />
from day one<br />
– the carved-instone<br />
nature of<br />
the Olympics<br />
deadline allowed<br />
little time f<strong>or</strong><br />
people to ‘grow<br />
into’ their roles<br />
6<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk
The imperative<br />
of looking f<strong>or</strong><br />
relevant – rather<br />
than direct –<br />
experience was<br />
at the heart of<br />
much of <strong>Odgers</strong><br />
<strong>Berndtson</strong>’s<br />
w<strong>or</strong>k as we<br />
searched f<strong>or</strong><br />
those whose<br />
past roles would<br />
‘read across’<br />
success<strong>full</strong>y<br />
into the unique<br />
demands of<br />
Locog<br />
were the heart of every brief; we needed to<br />
identify people with unswerving passion<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the project and the stamina, as well as<br />
the skills, to deliver it. As with every highperf<strong>or</strong>ming<br />
<strong>or</strong>ganisation, Locog’s culture<br />
and its ability to hire people who shared its<br />
values, lay at the heart of its success.<br />
F<strong>or</strong> <strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> as an <strong>or</strong>ganisation,<br />
the extensive and wide-ranging nature of<br />
our engagement with Locog required a<br />
high degree of internal team w<strong>or</strong>king and<br />
knowledge-sharing across disciplines. Given<br />
the nature of the client and its mission, our<br />
international Sp<strong>or</strong>ts Practice led on many<br />
assignments, but equally that team had to<br />
inf<strong>or</strong>m, inspire and collab<strong>or</strong>ate with search<br />
consultants whose expertise lay in finance,<br />
human resources, media, public affairs and<br />
other fields.<br />
Just as Locog needed to draw on diverse<br />
talent pools to become an <strong>or</strong>ganisation<br />
greater than the sum of its parts, so <strong>Odgers</strong><br />
<strong>Berndtson</strong> needed to w<strong>or</strong>k together to<br />
provide a seamless, cross-practice service.<br />
This was true not just domestically but<br />
internationally. Collab<strong>or</strong>ating with our<br />
international netw<strong>or</strong>k of 52 offices in<br />
29 countries, we were able to identify<br />
outstanding leaders such as Andrew<br />
Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic<br />
Legacy Company, who previously served as<br />
Deputy May<strong>or</strong> f<strong>or</strong> Economic Development<br />
f<strong>or</strong> the City of Philadelphia, America’s fifth<br />
largest city. Andrew’s appointment was also<br />
testament to our ability to think laterally in<br />
terms of parallel skills and experience that<br />
would be applicable to Locog’s culture and<br />
ambitions.<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk 7
n Finishing First<br />
A key feature of Locog as an <strong>or</strong>ganisation<br />
was its cohesion and endurance. Unlike<br />
any other previous Olympics delivery body,<br />
the seni<strong>or</strong> executives of Locog remained in<br />
post from the day they were appointed until<br />
the last firew<strong>or</strong>k fizzled over the Closing<br />
Ceremony and indeed after.<br />
The top team stuck to its task and delivered<br />
a superlative Games, testament of course<br />
to the talent and commitment of each<br />
individual, and the quality of the leadership,<br />
but also indicative of a team with the right<br />
blend of experience who were not only<br />
a fantastic fit with the role but who also<br />
embraced the <strong>or</strong>ganisation’s ethos and<br />
culture.<br />
Over 7.5 million people visited the Olympic<br />
venues, yet the reach of the Games went<br />
far beyond the Olympic Park. Great Britain<br />
became ‘home’ f<strong>or</strong> a global audience<br />
stretching into the billions, revealing<br />
London to be an open, warm and welcoming<br />
host. It confirmed the United Kingdom’s<br />
proficiency in executing grand and complex<br />
global events, combining pomp and<br />
pageantry with typical British flair and<br />
humour.<br />
<strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> continues to help build<br />
high-perf<strong>or</strong>mance teams f<strong>or</strong> <strong>or</strong>ganisations<br />
of all shapes, sizes and objectives, from the<br />
largest multinationals to small businesses,<br />
universities and hospitals. We apply our<br />
ability to think creatively, look beyond the<br />
obvious hire, and w<strong>or</strong>k together as interdisciplinary<br />
teams both in the UK and<br />
internationally, every day.<br />
The top team<br />
stuck to its task<br />
and delivered<br />
a superlative<br />
Games,<br />
testament of<br />
course to the<br />
talent and<br />
commitment of<br />
each individual<br />
and the quality<br />
of the leadership<br />
8<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk
n Matrix of Practices<br />
<strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> offers expertise in a wide range of industries and business functions:<br />
<strong>Board</strong>/<br />
NED<br />
CFO<br />
CIO/<br />
CTO<br />
C<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ate<br />
Comms<br />
HR<br />
Legal<br />
Supply<br />
Chain<br />
Aerospace,<br />
Defence & Security<br />
Consumer<br />
Retail & Leisure<br />
Education<br />
Energy<br />
Manufacturing<br />
Infrastructure<br />
Financial Services<br />
Healthcare<br />
Life Sciences<br />
Not f<strong>or</strong> Profit<br />
Oil & Gas<br />
Professional Services<br />
Public Sect<strong>or</strong><br />
Sp<strong>or</strong>ts<br />
Technology &<br />
Entertainment<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk 9
n Contact Details<br />
<strong>Board</strong> & CEO<br />
Baroness Virginia Bottomley<br />
+44 207 529 1066<br />
virginia.bottomley@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Aerospace, Defence & Security<br />
Clare Glackin<br />
+44 207 518 2622<br />
clare.glackin@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Aviation<br />
Susan Thompson<br />
+44 141 225 6325<br />
susan.thompson@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Betting & Gaming<br />
Andrew Bulloss<br />
+44 207 529 3953<br />
andrew.bulloss@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Chair & NED<br />
Kit Bingham<br />
+44 207 529 3925<br />
kit.bingham@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Consumer & Leisure<br />
Jane Dessar<br />
+44 207 529 1119<br />
jane.dessar@odgersberndtson.com<br />
C<strong>or</strong>p<strong>or</strong>ate Communications<br />
Kate Hamilton-Baily<br />
+44 207 529 6311<br />
kate.hamilton-baily@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Education<br />
Stephen Crookbain<br />
+44 207 529 3089<br />
stephen.crookbain@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Energy, Manufacturing & Infrastructure<br />
Bob Reynolds<br />
+44 207 529 3989<br />
bob.reynolds@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Sp<strong>or</strong>ts<br />
Simon Cummins<br />
+44 207 529 1053<br />
simon.cummins@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Financial Management<br />
Mark Freebairn<br />
+44 207 529 1042<br />
mark.freebairn@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Financial Services<br />
Simon Hayes<br />
+44 20 7529 3968<br />
simon.hayes@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Healthcare<br />
Carmel Gibbons<br />
+44 207 529 1128<br />
carmel.gibbons@odgersberndtson.com<br />
HR<br />
Aine Hurley<br />
+44 207 529 1046<br />
aine.hurley@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Legal & Professional Services<br />
Anna Ponton<br />
+44 207 367 0683<br />
anna.ponton@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Life Sciences<br />
John Jakenfelds<br />
+44 207 529 6369<br />
john.jakenfelds@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Maritime & Shipping<br />
Paul Butterw<strong>or</strong>th<br />
+44 207 529 6367<br />
paul.butterw<strong>or</strong>th@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Not-f<strong>or</strong>-Profit<br />
Julia Oliver<br />
+44 20 7529 1140<br />
julia.oliver@odgersberndtson.com<br />
10<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk
Oil & Gas<br />
Bob Greenwood<br />
+44 1224 218988<br />
bob.greenwood@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Public Sect<strong>or</strong><br />
Beverley Steel<br />
+44 207 529 3083<br />
beverley.steel@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Supply Chain & Procurement<br />
Lucy Harding<br />
+44 207 5291067<br />
lucy.harding@odgersberndtson.com<br />
Technology, Entertainment &<br />
Communications<br />
Alan Mumby<br />
+44 207 529 3973<br />
alan.mumby@odgersberndtson.com<br />
n About <strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong><br />
<strong>Odgers</strong> <strong>Berndtson</strong> is one of the leading<br />
international executive search firms and<br />
the largest in the UK. Our reputation<br />
f<strong>or</strong> excellence and integrity has been<br />
established over 40 years. We act as<br />
trusted advis<strong>or</strong>s to clients who need help<br />
recruiting f<strong>or</strong> imp<strong>or</strong>tant positions.<br />
In the UK we w<strong>or</strong>k in all commercial<br />
and financial sect<strong>or</strong>s and we have strong<br />
teams serving government, health,<br />
education and charities. We also have<br />
functional teams which specialise in<br />
recruiting f<strong>or</strong> the main management<br />
functions. Our Interim and Berwick<br />
teams can help fill interim executive <strong>or</strong><br />
middle management roles. Our<br />
assessment team also offers a wide<br />
range of evaluation solutions.<br />
We have over 300 people in London, as<br />
well as offices in Scotland, Wales, the<br />
Midlands and the N<strong>or</strong>th. In total, we<br />
have over 150 fee earning consultants<br />
and 70 researchers serving the UK<br />
market. Internationally we have offices<br />
in m<strong>or</strong>e than 30 countries. F<strong>or</strong> m<strong>or</strong>e<br />
inf<strong>or</strong>mation on the services that we<br />
provide please visit our website <strong>or</strong> call<br />
one of our consultants f<strong>or</strong> an expl<strong>or</strong>at<strong>or</strong>y<br />
conversation.<br />
www.odgersberndtson.co.uk<br />
info@odgersberndtson.com | www.odgersberndtson.co.uk 11
Global Offices<br />
International Executive Search and Assessment in 30 countries<br />
across the w<strong>or</strong>ld<br />
Americas<br />
Europe<br />
Africa, ME & Asia Pac<br />
Brazil<br />
Canada<br />
Peru<br />
United States<br />
Sao Paulo<br />
Calgary<br />
Halifax<br />
Montreal<br />
Ottawa<br />
T<strong>or</strong>onto<br />
Vancouver<br />
Lima<br />
Boston<br />
Chicago<br />
Dallas<br />
New Y<strong>or</strong>k<br />
Philadelphia<br />
Austria<br />
Belgium<br />
Denmark<br />
Finland<br />
France<br />
Germany<br />
Italy<br />
Netherlands<br />
N<strong>or</strong>way<br />
Poland<br />
P<strong>or</strong>tugal<br />
Russia<br />
Slovenia<br />
Spain<br />
Sweden<br />
Switzerland<br />
Turkey<br />
United Kingdom<br />
Vienna<br />
Brussels<br />
Copenhagen<br />
Helsinki<br />
Paris<br />
Lyon<br />
Frankfurt<br />
Hamburg<br />
Munich<br />
Milan<br />
Amsterdam<br />
Oslo<br />
Warsaw<br />
Lisbon<br />
Moscow<br />
Ljubljana<br />
Madrid<br />
Barcelona<br />
Stockholm<br />
Zurich<br />
Istanbul<br />
London<br />
Leeds<br />
Manchester<br />
Glasgow<br />
Aberdeen<br />
Cardiff<br />
Birmingham<br />
Australia<br />
Sydney<br />
Canberra<br />
China<br />
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