Latest news from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
24 Sep 2015
Peter Keen to join Lawn Tennis Association as interim Performance Director
Peter Keen, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s Director of Sport Advancement and Strategy, has been seconded by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) as interim Performance Director.
Peter, who joined the University after the London 2012 Games, will be seconded from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for 12 months. During this period he will continue to support and advance the University’s sporting interests.
Previously Peter has held Performance Director roles at British Cycling and UK Sport, the latter position giving him a unique insight into the high performance programmes of all of the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sports throughout the build-up to London 2012.
Peter’s association with the LTA began in January 2015 as a high performance adviser.
Speaking of his appointment Peter Keen said:
“I am hugely excited by the opportunity to take on this interim role. In the short time I have spent with the leadership and performance teams at the LTA, I have been impressed by their collective desire to move forward, think out of the box, and above all their aspiration to build a world-leading High Performance Programme that delivers at all levels of participation.
“Working with such passionate people, both in and outside of national organisations, is very appealing to me. I am looking forward to making a positive difference to the British Tennis High Performance landscape in preparation for the arrival of a permanent Performance Director later in 2016.”
LTA Chief Executive Michael Downey added:
“The search for a Performance Director has been very encouraging to date with many impressive candidates identified. However, in order to deliver the widest possible candidate list, we realise we need to wait until after the Summer Olympics in Rio. Therefore, we have decided to put an interim leadership solution in place given the importance of advancing Great Britain's High Performance agenda.
“Peter made perfect sense since he brings a wealth of relevant experience and can seamlessly assume the role having helped develop our new high performance strategic plan earlier in the year. He is also very active in a consultancy role helping to shape a robust programme for screening and supporting this nation's very best players.
“We are most appreciative to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for letting us borrow Peter in this regard.”
Peter’s appointment as interim Performance Director at the LTA will take effect from November 2, 2015.
Notes for editors
Article reference number: September News
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, putting it among the best universities in the world, and was named University of the Year in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2015.º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. It was 2nd in the 2015 THE Student Experience Survey and was named Sports University of the Year 2013-14 by The Times and Sunday Times. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
On 21 September 2015 the University opened an additional academic campus in London’s new innovation quarter. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London, based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.