Q & A with Ed Warner, Chairman of UK Athletics
Name: Ed Warner
Company: UK Athletics
Position: Chairman
University/ degree: Oxford, PPE
Current home town: London
CAREER
Q. Who/what inspired you to make the move into Athletics?
A. No one thing, but a combination of a family holiday to the Athens Olympics, my own amateurish club running, and a long-standing love of the sport.
Q. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
A. Probably the joint success in securing the future of athletics in the Olympic Stadium and winning the 2017 World Championships for London
Q. What does your typical day at UK Athletics involve?
A. As a non-executive Chairman, no day is typical. It may involve meetings with government, sponsors, grassroots volunteers, the UKA executive, or simply dealing with a pile of emails and phone messages.
Q. What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
A. Building coalitions of support from politicians for our initiatives, dealing with the press when sometimes things don't go as planned, helping people realise that you can't please all of the sport all of the time.
Q. What are the most enjoyable aspects of your job?
A. Watching British athletes win medals in major championships.
Q. What tips would you give to students wanting to break into the sports industry?
A. The best employees are those who can combine a genuine love of sport with well defined administrative and business skills. So make sure you hone both.
Q. What are the most common mistakes you’ve seen candidates making?
A. Thinking that a knowledge of athletics is all that they need, and reflecting back to you what they think you want to hear rather than what they believe genuinely needs to be done.
Q. How has elite sport changed since you first entered the industry?
A. With London 2012 fast approaching, the intensity of preparation for athletes and administrators has grown and continues to grow.
SPORT/ LIFE
Q. Favourite sports to participate in:
A. Long distance running on the road and off-road.
Q. Favourite sports to watch:
A. Athletics and football.
Q. What in your opinion has been the sporting highlight of the past 12 months?
A. Mo Farah's medal double in Daegu.
Q. What will be the sporting highlight of the next 12 months?
A. I haven't a crystal ball, but I hope it will be British athletics medals in the two Games next summer.
Q. Non-sport hobbies:
A. Theatre, fiction, photography.
Q. Where did you go for your last holiday?
A. Dubrovnik
Q. What piece of technology would you be lost without?
A. GPS running watch
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