Panache-packed LLDC new leadership team

Article posted by Coliseum, August 28^th, 2024

Image: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

A new leadership team for the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) was announced recently as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London (UK) prepares to deliver the next stage of the greatest Games legacy.

‘QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK’ stated that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced he intends to appoint Suki Kalirai as the new Chair subject to consideration by the London Assembly. Shazia Hussain has been appointed as the new Chief Executive.

Before the Mayor can appoint a Chair for the LLDC under the Greater London Authority (GLA) Act he is required to formally notify the London Assembly of his proposed candidate in order that they can provide him with their non-binding recommendation on whether he should proceed with the appointment. This process will take place in the next few weeks.

London (UK)-based the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is an organization established in 2012 replacing the Olympic Park Legacy Company and the planning powers of the Olympic Delivery Authority. It is a Mayoral Development Corporation and therefore directly accountable to the Londoners through the Mayor of London.

The LLDC works closely with a number of organizations including the Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority, the Central Government, the surrounding East London boroughs, residents in the neighboring local communities, the local organizations, the businesses and the regeneration agencies, and the national and international sporting, cultural and leisure organizations.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a sporting complex and public park in Stratford, Hackney Wick, Leyton and Bow, in East London (UK). It was purpose-built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and is situated adjacent to the Stratford City development. It contains the Olympic stadium, now known as the 68,013-capacity London Stadium, and the Olympic swimming pool together with the athletes’ Olympic Village and several other Olympic sporting venues and the London Olympics Media Centre (now known as the Here East).

‘QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK’ further stated that Kalirai brings over 20 years of experience in Non-Executive Director roles in a variety of sectors including consumer goods, building (both commercial and social housing), education and e-commerce, as well as charities and industry association boards in the leisure and hospitality sectors. He is currently also the Chair of the Paragon Asra Housing (UK).

Kalirai also brings 25 years of knowledge and experience from his career in senior executive roles at Coca-Cola, Forte & Le Méridien Hotels (an American upscale, design-focused international hotel brand with a European perspective) and Unilever – Dove Spa (British consumer goods company of which Dove is personal care brand).

He is a past Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General for Sustainable Development (Earth Summit) supporting and liaising with leaders from 100 sovereign States on environmental and climate change policy.

Shazia Hussain, currently the Deputy Chief Executive at the London Borough of Waltham Forest (Municipality in England), will be taking on the role of the Chief Executive of LLDC in Autumn.

Hussain has over 20 years of senior strategic and operational delivery experience within the Local Government that spans the parks and the open spaces, placemaking with economic and social regeneration, corporate policy and strategy, community safety and transformational change. Having started her career within regeneration she is committed to improving the social, economic and cultural condition of communities within East London.

Before her role at the Waltham Forest, she was the Assistant Chief Executive at the Brent Council (Wembley, England) and before that the Divisional Director for Tower Hamlets (London) – holding roles with accountability for strategic partnerships, service integration, learning and leisure, and customer service. Earlier in her career, she was the Director of Community Development for Leaside Regeneration (office space rental agency in London) providing another strong connection to the regeneration of East London.

As part of the evolution, the LLDC and its leadership will no longer have the strategic responsibility for the London Stadium through its subsidiary E20 Stadium LLP. From April 2025, this company will sit outside of LLDC and will be a subsidiary of the GLA Holdings which is a wholly-owned company of the Greater London Authority.

The role of the E20 is to ensure that the London Stadium is integrated with the surrounding communities, contributes to the local regeneration and social improvement aims, creates strong linkages with the local sport clubs and the educational bodies, and delivers a financial return.

The Mayor has announced his intention to appoint the current LLDC Chief Executive, Lyn Garner, as Chair of the business. Garner will work with the Stadium’s Chief Executive Graham Gilmore as it continues to deliver world-class events for the City.

The LLDC was established to build on the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and drive forward regeneration, growth and investment in East London – a key pledge when the bid was won. Now, 12 years on, the Park and the venues are top destinations in the United Kingdom for the visitors and the business and is used by the community 365 days a year. More than 1,200 homes have been built on the LLDC development sites with 4,500 more to be delivered over the coming years.

The new leadership team will deliver the next stage of legacy. This includes driving growth and inward investment, overseeing the world-class venues and parkland and the long-term estate and commercial management of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This will realize the ongoing delivery of legacy and inclusive economy aims and drive the delivery of the remaining high quality residential developments.

Stated Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, “London 2012 is seen around the world as a blueprint for how to deliver regeneration and drive investment that benefits the local residents. Getting the leadership right is vital and I am delighted that Suki and Shazia will build on the work of Lyn Garner and Lord Peter Hendy. Great progress has been made in making the venue more sustainable – both financially with events like the Major League Baseball and new commercial deals, and environmentally with the project to install solar panels. It’s fantastic that Lyn will take on the role of the Chair in the new governance structure for the London Stadium as we continue to build a better London for everyone. Lyn’s experience and expertise will be essential in the continued progress of the London Stadium which, through the events it hosts, delivers jobs and hundreds of millions of pounds in spend and investment to the capital’s economy.”

Added Lyn Garner, outgoing Chief Executive of LLDC and incoming Chair of E20 Stadium LLP, “I am extremely proud to have been part of not just the greatest Games regeneration but what I consider to be a project that can’t be matched anywhere in the world. Just 20 years on from winning the bid this is now an area creating jobs and investment with the community at its heart. As we complete the landmark East Bank construction project and hand back planning powers to our local boroughs, now feels like the right time to pass the baton to a new leadership with renewed focus. I hope that Suki and Shazia get as much pride and satisfaction out of being part of this incredible place as I have. I am delighted to still be involved with the London Stadium and am looking forward to continuing my work with Graham, his excellent team and the venue’s stakeholders.”

Commented Kalirai, “As someone who went to school in a previous London Olympic Games village and having lived, been educated or having a work base in London most of my life, I am delighted to take on this role and help the LLDC team build on the incredible success achieved so far. I join everyone in thanking Lord Peter Hendy and Lyn Garner for their work in this. As the organization moves to a different phase I look forward to listening and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to support them and the Mayor to further realize the ambitions for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

Enthused Hussain, “I am thrilled to have been appointed the Chief Executive. This part of London holds a special connection for me having spent much of my professional career serving the brilliant and diverse communities who live here. Leading LLDC into the next phase of its journey is a privilege. My focus will be to build on the fantastic legacy already in place, ensuring that growth and development are inclusive and investment provides the East Londoners with the opportunities they need to succeed. I’m looking forward to working with the four East London boroughs, the Greater London Authority (GLA), and all our partners and communities who live, work and visit the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

New York (US)-based the Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league and the highest level of organized baseball in the United States and Canada. One of the big four major leagues, the MLB comprises 30 teams divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

The Greater London Authority, colloquially known by the metonym City Hall, is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London, England (UK). It consists of two political branches: An Executive Mayor and the 25-member London Assembly which serves as a means of checks and balances on the Mayor.

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